Here’s How Much Veganism Has Changed in the Past 10 Years

Here’s How Much Veganism Has Changed in the Past 10 Years

  • Ari Solomon
  • Ari Solomon

This past weekend, I celebrated my 10-year vegan anniversary. Here’s just a snapshot of how much the vegan landscape has changed since the start of my journey in ’07. We’ve come a long way, baby!

1. Say Cheese 

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OK, let’s just be real. Ten years ago, vegan cheese was absolutely dreadful. Not only that, you couldn’t find it anywhere… not even at Whole Foods! Nowadays, we have incredible vegan cheeses from companies like Miyoko’s Creamery, Follow Your Heart, Field Roast, Treeline, and Daiya (just to name a few) that truly taste great and are widely available.

2. Plant-Based Meats 

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Welcome to 2007, a time before Gardein, Beyond Meat, and Field Roast were available on supermarket shelves. We did have Tofurky, and I still LOVE their deli slices and sausages, but you could really only find them in Whole Foods and health food stores. Today you can buy delicious vegan meats at places like Target and Costco! And Beyond Meat’s new Beyond Burger is now being sold in the meat case at Safeway.

3. Rad Restaurants 

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There were definitely fantastic vegan restaurants 10 years ago, but they were few and far between. In 2017, there are thousands of vegan restaurants all over the world from Lisbon to Los Angeles. Vegan donut shopsbakeriesburger joints, and even butcher shops abound!

4. Fab Festivals 


Veg fests were certainly a thing a decade ago, but today there are more than ever, including Vegan Oktoberfest in Los Angeles and Texas State Veggie Fair in Dallas. Check out this list of 12 upcoming vegan festivals you won’t want to miss!

5. Instagram and Pinterest 


Believe it or not, Instagram and Pinterest weren’t even around 10 years ago. But now they are a driving force for veganism. Vegan Instagrammers connect with thousands of followers every day and share delicious food photos. And Pinterest recently reported a 52 percent increase in vegan recipe pins!

6. Mooove Over, Milk 

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Ten years ago, I couldn’t even find soy milk in my local supermarket. Today the store sells not only soy milk but also almond, coconut, and rice milk. Plant-based milk sales have exploded! In fact, Instacart just reported that searches for “non-dairy” are up 222 percent, and Starbucks now offers soy, almond, and coconut milk for your latte. And it’s not just milk but ice cream too.

7. Veganism Is Everywhere 

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It’s true! Ten years ago, if I walked into a restaurant and told a server I was vegan, I had to explain what that was. In 2017, veganism is in the news (and on menus) all over the world—from major celebs like Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez extolling its benefits to environmentalists like Al Gore speaking truth to power about drastically reducing one’s carbon footprint through a vegan diet.

Whether you’ve been a vegan for decades or are just getting started, we can all agree on one thing: There’s never been a better time to stop eating meat, dairy, and eggs. For tips, recipes, and inspiration, check out more pages on this website and go for it!