Not long ago, Veganuary felt unstoppable. In the late 2010s and early 2020s, plant-based eating surged from niche to mainstream, fuelled by climate anxiety, supermarket innovation and a belief that food choices could drive systemic change.
The numbers were extraordinary. Vegan ranges exploded. January became a launchpad for plant-based NPD. ’Vegan’ became shorthand for progress.
Fast-forward to 2026 and Veganuary feels… quieter.
Participation remains meaningful on paper – 25.8 million people took part worldwide in 2025, according to YouGov – but culturally the moment has softened. Search interest is well below early-2020s highs, retailers have rationalised ranges, and some high-profile plant-based venues have closed as operators respond to falling demand, rising costs and shifting expectations.
But this isn’t a rejection of plants. It’s a rejection of prescription.
Not just a phase
Veganuary hasn’t failed – it’s matured. And that’s a harder phase for a category that grew up on noise, novelty and January spikes.
So what changed?
First, health has overtaken ideology. Shoppers are less motivated by moral absolutes and more by how food makes them feel: energy, digestion, long-term wellbeing. Interest in gut health, fibre, plant variety and nutrient density is rising fast. Consumers are still eating plants, but they’re looking past labels to everyday performance.
Second, behavioural fatigue has set in. After years of disruption, many consumers are less receptive to rigid, all-or-nothing frameworks. Veganism can feel socially and practically harder to sustain, and people increasingly want food that fits real life: Tuesday nights, rushed lunches and busy weeks – not just January intentions.
Third, economics matter. With cost of living pressures persistent, plant-based can no longer rely on virtue or novelty alone. It has to earn its place through value, convenience, nutrition and taste.
The result is clear: the fastest-growing behaviour today isn’t strict veganism, but flexitarianism. More plants, more often, without the rules.
A plant-based evolution
This is where the industry needs to be honest with itself. Movements peak. Behaviours compound. For years, success in plant-based was measured by launches and trial. The next phase will be defined by repeat purchase, habit and trust.
At Bol, we’ve come to recognise this shift through our own evolution. We didn’t start out plant-based at all – meat and fish were part of our original portfolio. But in 2017, inspired by Cowspiracy and a desire to play a positive role in a more sustainable food system, founder Paul Brown made a decisive call: all meat and fish were removed from the range, effectively halving the business overnight. dairy followed in 2018.
Crucially, while the portfolio changed, our positioning did not. Bol was never built as a brand “just for vegans”. From the outset, we chose to speak to a much broader audience and in 2023, we evolved our tagline from ‘Eat Plants, Love Life’ to ‘Bring On Life’ – a shift away from plant-based worthiness towards a healthy food brand with a performance backbone, designed to power everyday life.
The irony is that while ‘plant-based’ as a label has quietened, the underlying behaviours are accelerating. Pulses are rising. Fibre is back. Plant variety matters.
Veganuary’s quieter presence isn’t a blip. It’s a signal. Plant-based has moved beyond resolutions and into real life – and that’s exactly where it belongs.
Toni Ehrnreich is head of brand and marketing at Bol Foods
No comments yet