Each year, November 1st marks World Vegan Day, launching a month-long invitation to reflect on what veganism really means — to our health, to animals, to the planet, and to one another. For us at Vegaliano, World Vegan Month is never just a campaign. It’s a moment of pause. A space in the year when we stop and ask: how did we get here, and where are we going?

This year, more than any before, that reflection feels necessary.

Over the past 12 months, the vegan industry has experienced a significant contraction. Once fast-growing segments in retail and hospitality have slowed. Across Europe and North America, multiple vegan restaurants — even long-standing ones — have announced closures, citing rising costs, reduced foot traffic, and unsustainable margins. Once-promising plant-based brands have scaled back operations, pivoted, or been acquired by large conglomerates, only to see their original missions diluted or their products discontinued. Reports from outlets like FoodNavigator, Plant Based News, and The Guardian throughout 2024 and 2025 have highlighted a drop in shelf space for vegan products in mainstream supermarkets. The narrative we keep hearing is clear: “veganism is no longer trending.”

But when something so deeply values-driven is framed as a trend, its perceived decline says more about consumer cycles than it does about the importance of the movement itself.

The reality is more complex. Yes, consumer interest has shifted — not because the reasons to go vegan have weakened, but because the industry is facing the growing pains of a maturing movement. After a decade of rapid expansion and heavy investment, particularly between 2019 and 2022, the industry is grappling with deeper structural challenges. Cost-of-living pressures have made price a key concern for shoppers, and many plant-based products remain more expensive to produce, especially for independent or smaller brands who don’t benefit from economies of scale. At the same time, larger corporations that entered the vegan market for market share rather than mission are pulling back as growth slows, further destabilizing confidence in the category.

As a result, even businesses that have long been committed to vegan principles — from local grocers to dedicated restaurants — are struggling to keep up with inflation, increased supplier costs, and a shifting retail landscape. In the hospitality sector, some restaurants that once proudly went fully plant-based have quietly returned to mixed menus. Not because they stopped believing in the message — but because the numbers didn’t add up.

For us, this makes World Vegan Month not a time of celebration in the traditional sense, but a time for clarity — and recommitment.

Veganism has never been about perfection, performance, or even popularity. At its core, it is a philosophy rooted in harm reduction, sustainability, and compassion. It is not a binary, but a direction — a conscious effort to make choices that align with our ethics and long-term wellbeing. That hasn’t changed. If anything, the environmental case has only strengthened. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and recent 2025 climate reports, reducing animal agriculture remains one of the most impactful ways individuals can lower their carbon footprint. The Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food continues to support findings that plant-based diets offer significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water consumption compared to diets high in animal products.

So no — veganism is not dead. It is, however, in need of protection, support, and re-grounding.

At Vegaliano, we have always believed that traditional cultures and plant-based values can coexist beautifully. Our mission has never been about erasing what’s familiar, but reimagining it. The smell of fresh passata simmering on the stove. A slice of tiramisu shared at the end of a long meal. The Aperitivo ritual of a cheese board, a spritz, and good company. These aren’t things we have to give up. They’re things we can reclaim, the kinder way.

But we cannot do it alone. This month is a reminder that if we want to see a future where plant-based businesses can thrive, it requires community support — not just in clicks or likes, but in conscious consumer choices. Buying from independent vegan makers, leaving a review, recommending a brand to a friend, showing up at a local pop-up or market — these small actions keep ecosystems alive.

This is also a time for businesses like ours to be transparent. We, too, feel the pressure of rising production costs, complicated logistics, and a market that’s not always ready for slow growth models. But we’re still here — because we believe this matters. Because every plant-based pantry we stock, every vegan cheese alternative we ship, every collaboration we build — it all adds up.

World Vegan Month is not just for those already fully vegan. It’s for the curious, the transitioning, the flexitarian, and the ally. It’s for anyone who believes that food can — and should — do better.

So, no matter where you are on the journey, we invite you to reflect with us. To cook a little slower. To shop a little more intentionally. To remember why this movement started, and to imagine what it can still become.

In a world where everything feels temporary, choosing vegan is still one of the most grounded, forward-looking decisions we can make.

Thank you for staying with us.