A guide to shopping vegan this Veganuary

Are you taking up the Veganuary challenge for 2024? If you could do with a hand shopping all things vegan this January, we’re here to help!

Where do I start?

So, you’ve made the decision to embark on Veganuary whether it's for the animals, the planet, better health or all three. But making this change, even if you’re just trying Veganuary for a month, can seem daunting if you haven’t shopped much for vegan products before. Don’t panic just yet – our guide to shopping for vegan foods and products this Veganuary is here to make that transition as smooth and enjoyable as possible for you!

Look for the Vegan Trademark

The Vegan Trademark is The Vegan Society's product labelling scheme created in 1990 to make shopping simpler for those living a vegan lifestyle.

Our trusted sunflower mark means that our team of experts diligently check products and their manufacturing against our standards to ensure that there are no animal-derived ingredients, that no animal testing has been conducted (by the company or on its behalf, or by parties over whom it has effective control), and that cross-contamination is minimised as far as possible. Watch our animation on how we check for cross-contamination for vegan options at restaurants.

Sounds like a lot of work, right? Not everyone has the time, resources, or ability to carry out this level of checks, so when you're on your next shopping trip or eating out/ordering in, look for the Vegan Trademark on products and menus. It means you can shop with ease and the confidence that we've done the hard work. We now have over 68,000 products certified so it's easier, more accessible and becoming more affordable than ever to have a vegan diet and lifestyle.

Shopping for food and drinks

Shopping for vegan food and drinks might seem the simplest: no meat, fish, dairy or eggs, right? There are some non-vegan ingredients that can sneak into the most unexpected of places, however, or ingredient lists that aren't so easy to decipher! Again, here's where the Vegan Trademark is your quick and easy marker for which products are safe to go into your basket (or your food order). Aside from looking for our trademark, here are some other tips:

• Whilst vegan products are increasingly being placed alongside their non-vegan counterparts to offer people an alternative to animal products, it's a good idea to look out for specific aisles dedicated to 'Vegan', 'Veganuary' or 'Plant-Based Foods', as well as the 'Free-From' aisle.
• Supermarkets like Asda, Morrisons and Aldi have plant ranges with many certified by us, making these some easy and accessible places to shop for many.
• If you're eating out or ordering in, places like Wagamama, Costa, Burger King, and Krispy Kreme have some great options to rival their animal products.
• For more tips, check out our blogs on vegan food and drink with plenty more suggestions.
• Apprehensive about swapping out cheese? Check out these vegan cheese alternatives.
• If eggs are something you’ll miss, here’s a round-up of vegan egg swaps.

Toiletries and cosmetics

These are often tested on animals as well as containing animal ingredients so it's important to look for the trademark on packaging. Keep an eye on your favourite toiletry and cosmetic brands' websites and social media, where they'll talk more about their vegan credentials. If they mention us - you're good to go! To get you started, check out our blogs on Body Care, Cosmetics, Curly Haircare and Period Care.

Fashion

The obvious materials to look out for to ensure you're buying fashion and textiles that exclude animal suffering are leather, silk, fur and down. However, even claims of ‘faux leather' can be misleading as these alternatives can sometimes be sprayed with leather particles as a finish to make the end product look more ‘authentic'. For reassurance, look for the Vegan Trademark. Brands like New Look, Superdry, Gola, Blowfish, Kurt Geiger, George at ASDA (and more!) carry ranges certified by us. You'll often find our trademark on the website description and/or swing tag of the item. Some brands will have dedicated pages, too, for products registered with us. Learn more about vegan fashion ahead of Veganuary in this blog.

Household

This may not be top of your list on things to veganise in your life this Veganuary, but if you want to throw yourself in fully, we have help on hand! With over 2000 vegan-certified household products, from cleaning to bedding – you certainly have options. Find out more about verified homewares, plus plenty of suggestions in our blogs on Household Cleaning and Homeware.

Have fun!

Whether it's your first foray into veganism or you've tried Veganuary a few times – don't forget to have fun with it! There are so many exciting products to try and ones you'll realise you were already using or buying that are vegan. You'll be surprised at just how easy it can be!

If you accidentally slip up this Veganuary, don't give up and give it your best try. You'll be glad to have completed the challenge come February, and you may notice how good you feel and perhaps even some health benefits.

To make things more exciting and to help others, make sure to share your Trademarked Veganuary finds with us online and tag @vegantrademark on Instagram and X (Twitter).

Further Support

There's further support and delicious recipes you can use throughout Veganuary on The Vegan Society's website, as well as our Easy Vegan Swaps blog and affordable and nutritious vegan dishes to help you live vegan for less.

Make sure you're following our News page and @vegantrademark on social media for more guides and exciting launches coming this January 2024.

If you're already seasoned at excluding animal foods and products, share this blog with friends, family and colleagues taking part in Veganuary this year.

Vitamins

It's also a good time to remind anyone taking part in Veganuary about supplementation from our vegan multivitamin, VEG 1. It includes all the essentials you need, like vitamin D, vitamin B12, iodine, selenium and more.

Wishing you a wonderful and compassionate Veganuary and New Year!

By Vegan Society Brand Marketing Officer, Nishat Rahman.