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ОглавлениеInterested in this whole veganism idea and want to know how it all started? Here’s a little history about the movement.
The best place to find the origins of veganism is with the early history of the Vegan Society, the first organized group of vegans. It was founded in 1944, meaning that modern vegans have been around for more than 70 years. It’s not quite as recent a “fad” as some people think.
The founders include Donald Watson, Elsie Shrigley, and other vegetarian friends. They were discussing the idea of being vegetarian while also eliminating all dairy products from their diet. The term “vegan” was coined, taking the first and last few letters from vegetarian. Donald Watson felt it represented the beginning and end of conventional vegetarianism.
By 1949, this little group had expanded and they officially declared their purpose to be more than about diet, but the complete freedom of animals from being used by man. They formed as a registered charity in 1979, and have been going strong ever since.
The Current State of Veganism:
According to a survey done for the Vegetarian Resource Group (cite below), there are approximately 16 million vegetarians in the USA, and they estimate that about half of those are fully vegan. So it may seem like nobody else you know is vegan, but there are millions who have given up animal products completely.
As for the Vegan Society, their symbol is the standard trademark for vegan products around the world and their website is the main online destination for resources, information, and product details for vegans.
