Modeled on “dry January”, “veganuary” aims to popularize vegan food, the market for which is growing in France

The “veganuary” invites you to favor a diet without meat or animal products throughout the month of January, while in France, the vegan food market is developing.

We already know about “dry January”, which encourages us not to drink alcohol for the entire month of January. Now here is “veganuary”, a month to promote plant-based food and the vegan diet, without meat but also without products of animal origin such as eggs or milk. For the occasion, the L-214 association in particular is organizing awareness-raising actions this weekend of January 6 and 7. In France in recent years, the vegan food market has been growing.

She has two packets of vegetable tortellini in her hands. Laura, 29, a vegetarian for almost five years, became completely vegan a year and a half ago, convinced that animals should no longer be made to suffer. “For nothing in the world I will go backconfides the young woman. I live with my family so I always have eggs, meat, etc. on hand. But I have my shelf, with my tofu, my tempé and lots of ingredients that my family doesn’t know and that I’m going to introduce them to. For now, they recognize that what I eat is good and not sad, and that’s already good!”

“It’s still ultra-processed”

Protein patties, cereals and lots of vegetables, a vegan diet is not always easy in society. “For example at Christmas with the family, there is a dish for everyone and a dish for Laura. It can be a little restrictive, I’m sorry for my family by the way.”, she admits. The grocery store where Laura shops has been in existence for six years and is 100% vegan. It is one of only two in the capital. She plans to push the walls in the coming months because the customers are there.

But for her part, Laura always carefully looks at the composition of the products she chooses. “Just because it’s vegan doesn’t mean it’s good for your healthshe observes. There are very fatty, very salty, very sweet things. And then I tell myself that it’s still ultra-processed! The objective is to return to whole, natural products, which come from the earth and I imagine all that produced by large machines in factories, that doesn’t really appeal to me.“

Offer products that taste good

However, it is through this that the vegan sector manages to expand. The first French production factory was installed last year in Loiret by the company HappyVore. Among the products offered by the brand, there are notably plant-based nuggets, made from wheat protein but very similar in taste to a poultry nugget. Moreover, imitation is assumed. “One day, we will make products that are not imitation meat but for the moment, that is where there is the most demand”explains the co-founder of the brand, Guillaume Dubois.

HappyVore is aware of this need to offer things that taste good. “People’s first approach to plants is : ‘It’s a bit of a punishment, it’s not going to be a good time’. So we really tried to start from taste, we have to make products that are super good.” Result: sausages with pea protein grown in France, or this astonishing minced soya. Most have a nutriscore A. And, a sign that the market is doing well, the company of 140 employees is experiencing growth of 10 to 15% per month.