Sir, – Unless your readers have been hiding under a bush for the last few years, they can’t have failed to notice the extraordinary growth in the number of people adopting a vegan diet and lifestyle.
Why this is happening is a matter of enormous interest, as it indicates a major cultural shift that will have huge consequences for the farming community and for the meat industry, but also for society at large, as the way we produce food shifts, necessarily, away from animal-based to plant-based.
World Vegan Day is celebrated around the world on November 1st every year. This year, the day is being celebrated in Ireland for the first time, with a campaign by Full Irish Vegan. Despite the group’s newness (we are a group of vegan friends and advocates who only coalesced around the idea in July of this year), it has managed to persuade over 170 restaurants and cafes across the country to offer a signature vegan dish on the day. Some establishments are providing breakfast, lunch and evening meal, and many will continue to serve the vegan dishes and desserts throughout November.
November 1st, then, is an opportunity for vegans and non-vegans to enjoy the incredible variety of vegan fare on offer across the country. The restaurants and cafes are enthusiastic about the campaign, mainly because they have seen at first hand the increasing number of diners requesting not only a vegan main course but a full vegan menu.
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If any of your readers would like to know which food establishments are participating in World Vegan Day, they can find a full list on the vegan website, irishvegan.ie.
– Yours, etc,
GERRY BOLAND,
Co-founder, Full Irish Vegan,
Keadue,
Co Roscommon.