Vegans and the actual truth

Recently, a Vegan who stayed made the claim - rather untruthfully like many vegans - that there were around 11% of people in the UK who were vegans and as usual, this was a BIG FAT LIE.

IT IS NOTHING LIKE 11% - NOT EVEN HALF THAT.

Actually - India has the highest amount of vegans in the world and THAT is 11% - NOT THE UK and it is not new in India as alternative diets have been common practice for many decades compared to the UK India also has the highest number of vegetarians in the world, with around 38% of the population following a vegetarian diet. It is not a big leap into veganism in India which also has the lowest meat consumption rate in the world, partly historic because with no refrigerators and where meat went off quickly - hence hot spicy curries were used to hide the taste of the rotten meat - and where many became vegetarian.

In 2024, there are around 2.5 million vegans in the UK, 4.7% of the population, an increase from 1.4 million vegans (2.5%) in 2023. The number of vegans in the UK has risen by 1.1 million between 2023 and 2024, indicating a growing trend towards veganism BUT these facts are not 100% accurate at all, as MANY claim to be vegan but - are PART TIME VEGANS, they dip in and out and will claim to be vegans but in actual fact - are part time vegans.

But why is it that when some people change course in life - ie: they quit smoking or they become vegetarians / vegans, they become appalling advocates for their non smoking or vegan lifestyle in order to prove a point, but they do so by exaggerating / lying / distorting the facts to suit themselves...:- There is far too much arrogance and condescension and this does them no good at all and they are actually bad advocates for the cause.

A bit like Trump does all the time.

I have found this to be so very true over the years and the BIG FAT LIE does them absolutely no favours at all and in fact, it just make some think these people are delusional.

Not long ago, plant-based meat alternatives were hailed as a revolutionary food force and a potential bulwark against the climate crisis. ( see below for ingredients )

Despite the burger buzz, however, the sector seems to be facing a notable slump. Beyond Meat, a leader in the sector, laid off 19% of its workforce last autumn amid declining sales, while Impossible Foods – Beyond’s biggest rival – cut 20% of its staff at the beginning of 2023.

Many plant-based startup companies in the USA and here in the UK, once flush with billions of capital and an ever increasing assumption they were going to revolutionise and re educate the meat eating public - are now either reducing their fake-meat offerings or closing down entirely.

After the big mad rush to try these products, many returned to their meat eating habits and may on occasion, dip in and out of meat free meats.

Personally, Aldi do a very nice battered sausage that is vegan and I do like them BUT AT £2 for just 2 sausages - IT IS FAR FROM CHEAP and in a world of tightening ones budget because of a global down turn - it is simply too expensive and is HIGHLY processed which is NOT as healthy as claimed at all. ( see below )

The main challenge plant-based brands face is keeping consumer interest, there is high interest in trying it for a while, but it’s a different story to adapt new eating long term as the novelty of faux meats simply wears off. The fake meat industry which blew up in 2019 and 2020, largely in part due to a rise in veganism and plant-based diets following a documentary released on Netflix, Game Changers, However, in recent years, there has been a trend shift to keep to and animal-based diets, which lead to less demand for plant-based meat products.

Health-conscious consumers are also starting to question the lengthy ingredient lists of these highly processed products and that a lot of these fake meats are heavily processed and contain more saturated fat than animal meats, which defeated the purpose – and many consumers have figured this out for themselves. It is NOT as healthy an alternative and the everyday vegan will have you believe, and when they look down on meat eaters, when they patronise and condescend because we are not ' enlightened enough' and that they are right and we are wrong - ( chuckle chuckle ) it seems their arrogance and supercilious attitude does them no good at all, especially with me.

Meanwhile, some alternative protein startups, such as Choppy and Hoxton Farms, are incorporating real animal fat into their products, rendering them useless for vegans and vegetarians.

I have to agree we do eat FAR too much meat products and this does cause environmental problems and until governments get the food industry under some kind of legitimate and TRUTHFUL control - ( unlike GM foods and Monsanto ) nothing will change as the meat market - being worth BILLIONS - is not about to make drastic changes as it is all about money - especially in the USA where meat production is far less stringent than the EU ever was and is one reason we must resist doing business with American meat retailers as their meat is dramatically less guarded against problems like Mad Cow etc.

So if you are vegan and you turn up here and just expect a full vegan menu and you have not advised us at least 4 days prior, you may not get the best meal - if at all - and the only person to blame for that - it you.

However: If you advice me in advance I can and do prepare good wholesome vegetarian and or vegan meals but please, do not expect a small venue with 6 rooms to have an extensive vegan menu when you have not advised us in advance.