Interest in veganism has reached an all-time high this year, data
from Google Trends shows. It reflects the notable rise in
popularity of plant-based diets and vegan lifestyles around the
world amid the coronavirus pandemic, with consumers
increasingly conscious of the dangers of the meat supply chain
and prioritising health, safety and sustainability.
According to a report analysing the popularity of veganism by
Chef’s Pencil, a food media outlet, the number of vegan search
terms logged around the world have surpassed the prior alltime high recorded in 2019. Using Google Trends to see how
many people are searching for vegan food in different languages,
the research finds that veganism is now “twice as popular as it
was just five years ago, and it doesn’t show any sign of
slowing down.”

Veganism is stronger than ever, as you can see by the number of
countries whose cuisine traditionally is greatly meat- and dairybased seeing a big rise in veganism. – Chef’s Pencil

More specifically, the report notes that while some searchers are
googling general terms out of interest or curiosity about veganism,
there is a high volume of searches recorded this year that
represented a “clear intent to eat vegan”. Examples of such
terms include “vegan recipes” or “vegan restaurants near
me”.

“Veganism is stronger than ever, as you can see by the number of
countries whose cuisine traditionally is greatly meat- and dairybased seeing a big rise in veganism,” read the report.

In particular, the countries where plant-based consumption is
seeing the most vegan searches include the United Kingdom,
Australia and Israel. In terms of cities, Bristol, Portland and
Edinburgh topped the list for where veganism is most popular
this year.

Data emerging over the last couple of months, especially during
the height of the coronavirus pandemic, has all pointed to the rise
in popularity of plant-based foods. In March, vegan meat sales
in the U.S. soared by 280% as the meat supply chain faced
disruption due to slaughterhouse outbreaks and ongoing livestock
diseases such as African swine fever.

In Hong Kong, a recent poll found that a quarter of the city’s
young shoppers are now going to reduce their meat intake as a
direct result of the pandemic, with similar results recorded in the
surveys conducted in the U.K. Meanwhile, South Korea reported
a tripling in its vegan population and Japan’s plant-based food
scene has exploded with vegan konbini to 100% dairy and eggfree Japanese bakeries.