Disclaimer: This is a collation of third party sources about topics connected to veganism. Some of the links are not to the original sources; we are sharing them to help journalists or researchers with their research and because they may form a helpful starting point.
Families and children
- In 2022, The Vegan Society published a report called Vegan Food for Children: Parents show support for plant-based provisions. The report showcased new research that found that 69% of UK parents and guardians surveyed support schools increasing the number of nutritionally balanced vegan food options on offer. 46% said they would support schools offering meat alternatives and 42% said they would welcome more cheese alternatives. Source
- A 2022 petition by ProVeg International calling for EU countries to offer fortified plant-based milk options with school meals gained more than 50,000 signatures. Source
- In 2021, research by BBC Good Food found that 8% of children in the UK aged 5–16 were following a vegan diet and a further 15% said they would like to. Source
- Since January 2021, vegan pupils have registered over 1200 schools to receive packs from Vegan-Inclusive Education. Source
- A 2021 study by Vegan-Inclusive Education, which included 252 vegan pupils, found that 54% said they had experienced no vegan school meal option, 73% reported being teased for their ethical beliefs and 85% felt discriminated against because of their beliefs. Source
- A 2021 study by Quorn found that 60% of parents in the UK believe diets will need to change in the future to protect the environment. Source
- In 2021, the British Dietetic Associations Maternal & Fertility Nutrition Specialist Group developed a campaign working towards a commitment from market leaders that all staple alternative products sold in the UK are fortified with iodine equivalent to the amounts available in cows’ milk. Source
- YouGov research in 2020 found that the majority (67%) of people surveyed would be supportive of their child going vegan, just 8% would not let them and 25% did not know. 16% said they would allow their children to live vegan aged 10 years or younger, whilst 26% said they would allow this from age 16 or older. Source
- In 2020, Leeds City Council announced that 182 primary schools would serve vegan and ‘meat-free' meals twice a week, in an effort to halve the region's carbon footprint. The scheme follows a survey which found 95% (84 out of 88) of children would “not object” to having one meat-free day a week. Source
- Research from 2019 by Linda McCartney Foods found that 70% of British children want to see more vegan and veggie meals on their school menu. The main motivations include being ‘kinder to animals’ (44%), fear for the environment (31%) and being healthier (29%). Source
- In 2019, a YouGov survey found that 29% of 11–18 year old meat-eaters want to reduce their meat consumption but they are not finding this easy to do. 27% said there aren't enough plant-based options in canteens and 17% believe there is a lot of advertising for fast food containing meat. Source
