Harvey Choat, MD of food and drink comms agency Nexus, argues that the 2025 Veganuary campaign risks alienating consumers and should instead focus on a message of ‘plant-more’ rather than ‘meat-less’
Whether you support veganism or not, if I was a carrot in Veganuary, I’d feel very left out. Founded in 2014, the annual movement sees a flurry of promotional activity. It is reported that 25 million people worldwide gave up animal produce during January 2024, which is no mean feat.
The underlying principle, to get people to abstain from sausages (and all other animal products) for the month, mainly cites sustainability and animal welfare. It has become a headline moment for plant-based meat alternatives. But in this melee of methylcellulose, where have all the actual plants gone?
“Weird?’ is the tagline for Veganuary 2025, and the campaign argues that many of the eating habits we consider ‘normal’ are in fact pretty strange. The accompanying images – a pig in the shape of a sausage, udders popping out from a mug of tea, a chicken covered in KFC batter instead of feathers – are certainly provocative and eye-catching, but do they risk appealing to vegan activists and alienating most mainstream consumers?
As the initiative enters its 11th year, is it time to evolve the message? The narrative around food has undoubtedly changed. According to a Nexus survey of 2,000 UK shoppers, 54 per cent say they are actively avoiding foods they perceive to be processed, and 30 per cent report checking labels more than they did a year ago.
2025 should be a year to reimagine plant-based eating. Instead of shaming people into cutting out meat and animal products all together, while endorsing a raft of new ultra-processed vegan burgers and ‘veggie balls’, the focus should be on inspiring people to eat more vegetables, pulses, beans and fruit – as part of a healthy, balanced diet. This is perhaps a subtle change – one that could be seen to dilute the focus on reducing consumption of animal produce – yet it is undoubtedly more relevant to emerging consumers, who have health high on their agenda.
This year, we will see considerable marketing spend on processed alternatives compared to a relatively mute appearance from fresh produce. No Veganuary banners will appear in the veg aisles, and press coverage of veganism in the UK will more likely focus on the latest plant-based burger or the fallout from Chris Packham’s resignation as president of the RSPCA.
The stalwarts will argue that switching the focus from ‘meat-less’ to ‘plant-more’ undermines Veganuary’s core mission to make the world vegan. I disagree. Positive (rather than negative) communication strategies have more power to change culture at scale. There is an opportunity for fresh produce to have a voice in Veganuary, one that is not divisive but unifying. This could involve inspiring people to try a new plant once a week during the month, regardless of their dietary preference. Whatever the call to action, communication must be creative, relevant and entertaining.
Although vegetables, fruit and pulses are arguably less gastronomically ‘weird’ than many of the processed plant-based alternatives, this doesn’t mean meat substitutes can’t play a supporting role. We may all sometimes want the convenience of a substitute. Celebrating innovation and purpose is important. But there is little said about what’s in the stuff, its provenance, or its nutritional value. This is where fresh produce can change the narrative.
Imagine a world where food is seen as medicine. UK law prevents retailers and brands from claiming or implying that food can treat, prevent or cure any disease or medical condition. But more general claims can be made about fruits or vegetables being good for the health of various organs and body parts. The Nexus team have mocked up a couple of possible examples in the image above.
There are often more health claims on processed foods and supplements than in the fresh produce aisle. And it is certainly possible to do more to position fruits and vegetables as essential to improving your health. Only this week, M&S has started selling ‘Brain Balls’, a mix of berries, almonds and various vitamins, marketed as being good for your neurological function. Surely if a processed ball can be hyped up on health, a natural whole food can too.
The definition of medicine is ‘the science or practice of the diagnosis, treatment or prevention of disease’. Fresh produce can undoubtedly play a role in prevention and, in some cases, treatment. When synchronised, government, the NHS, retailers and growers can deliver this much needed shift in food culture. With creativity, we can solve some of the nation’s biggest health and food security issues. We don’t need new committees; we need a new culture between the existing stakeholders.
Nexus is one of the UK’s leading strategic food and drink comms agencies. Founded in London in 1979, by industry legend Jonathan Choat, the business is now headed up by his grandson, Harvey Choat. Nexus has built one of the world’s most effective food quality marks, British Lion Eggs, and helped launch the five-a-day campaign.
