Is This the End of Veganism as We Know It?
This might just change how you see the future of veganism
If you’d prefer to watch the video version of this article, you’ll find it below.
Vegan restaurants are closing, plant-based brands are struggling, anti-vegan influencers are dominating online - Is this the end of veganism?
What's really happening behind the scenes might just change how you see the future of veganism.
Is veganism still relevant in 2025?
As we step into 2025, the narrative seems split.
On the one hand, people are more aware than ever about how their actions impact animals. But on the other hand, we're seeing signs of trouble. Vegan restaurants are closing their doors, people are pulling guns on activists (more on that later), and even the dairy industry scored a big win in 2024, banning the international plant milk brand Oatly from being able to call its products "milk."
If veganism is growing, why does it feel like everything's falling apart?
I'm going to dive into the challenges and the breakthroughs to answer one question: Is veganism disappearing or transforming?
The struggles veganism is facing
Hit hard by the rising cost of living and stiff competition from supermarkets and other better-known brands putting out cheaper animal-free alternatives, many vegan restaurants and brands closed permanently in the last couple of years.
The post-COVID hangover hasn't helped either, with people eating out far less than they used to. It's making it harder and harder for niche businesses to stay afloat. Vegan products and businesses are largely kept alive by people who aren't vegan: environmentalists, health-conscious consumers, flexitarians, and people who just fancy trying something different.
While this is a really good thing, unfortunately, it means a lot of these businesses and brands are relying on people who could drop them when things get tough. And that's what happened when COVID hit. During that time, many people went back to products they found more familiar and ditched the new animal-free alternatives they'd been trying.
“Vegans are slowly killing themselves”
Then there's the media. During 2024, there were stories like this one, claiming that vegans are killing themselves with ultra-processed foods, causing panic and confusion among the public.
Now, it's never a good idea to pack your diet with high salt, high fat, high sugar processed food, but that doesn't mean that all processed food is bad. Take Huel, for example. It's a completely vegan all-in-one meal drink that is ultra-processed but actually contains all of the essential vitamins and minerals that you need, with low salt, and low sugar. And no, I'm not sponsored by Huel (yet).
Dairy is scared
And there's the dairy industry. Them successfully lobbying to stop Oatly from calling its products "milk" wasn't just a legal win, it was a sign that they see animal-free milk alternatives as a genuine threat. If vegans and vegan products weren't making an impact, the meat, dairy, and egg industries wouldn't be spending millions of dollars trying to suppress them.
Wait, he has a gun?
But what about the public reaction? Well, this man pulled a gun on activists recently during a protest against foie gras, a product that comes from the brutal force-feeding and killing of geese.
Now, it's been pointed out to me that maybe this man was afraid, and that's why he pulled the gun out. Lots of loud noises, lots of commotion, he didn’t really know what was going on. If that really is the case, then all I'll say is I'd hate to be around this guy on New Year's Eve.
This man most likely had some personal issues that he's dealing with. The majority of people out there don’t wish violence on vegans and vegan activists. But some anti-vegan influencers do seem to be getting increasingly popular. So what's that about? I think it's a similar situation to the Oatly issue. If veganism wasn't making a difference, people wouldn't be talking about it, and they definitely wouldn’t be interested in watching videos about it.
The more society adapts to make changes for animals, the more people are going to want to discuss those changes—and not everyone's going to like it, at least at first. They might not like it, but hopefully, people come around.
Are all of these things just part of the struggle of a changing society that's more friendly to animals? We can start to answer that by looking at some of the wins for animals in 2024.
Wins for Animals in 2024
South Korea banned the dog meat trade after centuries of this cruel practice, making a historic moment for animal rights.
Mexico rewrote its constitution to include animal welfare and added it to school curriculums, ensuring future generations grow up with compassion for animals.
Colombia banned bullfighting, ending a centuries-old tradition. (It seems some countries are considering alternatives for bullfighting, like wrangling little people, which is still not great, but at least they agree to do it, are paid, and don’t get killed afterward so that’s… progress?)
Romania voted to phase out fur farming by 2027, targeting industries that abuse and kill chinchillas and minks.
Australia passed a law to ban the export of live sheep by 2028.
The UK banned the export of animals for slaughter, eliminating suffering from long-distance transportation.
New York banned wildlife killing contests.
Washington became the first state to ban octopus farming.
Political and Corporate Changes
Politicians like Tulsi Gabbard (vegan) and Vivek Ramaswamy (vegetarian) are challenging the status quo by choosing animal-free and meat-free diets for ethical reasons. Vivek even Tweeted calling for conservatives to make animal cruelty an important issue in their politics.
In the corporate world:
McDonald's is now using 100% cage-free eggs in all U.S. locations.
(With cage-free and caged chickens, obviously cage-free is better, but it's sort of like someone offering you a massage or a beating before they abuse you and kill you. Taking a massage is obviously better than taking a beating, but you're still going to get abused and killed. All of these chickens, caged or not, will be abused and killed. But the fact that multi-billion dollar companies are making decisions with animals in mind is something.)
Bel Group (maker of Babybel cheeses) is investing in animal-free fermented cheese alternatives and recently launched a plant-based version of their Babybel product.
Nutella released a plant-based, animal-free version of its globally renowned chocolate spread.
Victoria's Secret replaced real feathers with synthetic ones, and London Fashion Week banned exotic animal skins.
Vegan Influencers Rise
Despite anti-vegan influencers gaining traction, massive vegan influencers like Humane Vision and Lifting Vegan Logic are reaching tens of millions with pro-vegan, pro-animal content. This proves there's still a huge audience for animal advocacy.
A Message for 2025
When you put all this together, the message is clear: The principles behind veganism, justice for animals, compassion, and animal rights, are winning in ways that are reshaping our world. Governments, industries, and culture are beginning to align with these values. Veganism isn’t dying, it’s shifting and evolving. While that shift comes with challenges, it also comes with progress.
If you’re a vegan, go into 2025 with hope for the future. This is the year to double our efforts and fight for change. Together, we can, and are, making a difference.
If you’re not currently a part of this change, the question is: Will you help create a better world for animals? Switching to an animal-free diet is the most powerful decision you can make for animals, start here.