Vegan Restaurant Week

Here is some first-class consumer activism.

Emma of blog Canny Food has started a fantastic initiative to make non-vegan restaurants and cafés in her area more aware and inclusive of veganism.

Vegan Restaurant Week is a simple idea but certainly one that can pack a lot of punch.

Restaurants in the Newcastle and north east region are being encouraged to develop and promote purposively vegan menu items for the week of January 23 – 29, 2017.

While some completely-vegan eateries are taking place, Emma has been more focussed on getting the non-vegan outlets on board, encouraging them to raise their game when it comes to plant-based food offerings. Establishments that previously had not given vegan food a second thought are lining up to make plant-based options a priority for this campaign.

Vegan Restaurant Week is getting a LOT of attention around Newcastle including mainstream press and there is no shortage of food venues wanting to get involved. I think the count is edging close to 40!

You can see the full list, including what their vegan week specials are, over on the official Vegan Restaurant Week website.

Congratulations to Emma on a campaign that has the potential to make real change in her community. We all know a lot of people who don’t eat vegan because of availability and ease, so this campaign is valuable in helping to redress those shortcomings across non-vegan venues.

Campaigns such as Vegan Restaurant Week need to take place everywhere. Come on, people. Be active participants and let’s get busy changing the world for the better. We want people to go vegan so it is up to us to make it possible.

A seemingly-small change of a few additional dishes on a menu is often the start of something a lot bigger for non-vegan restaurants. Well done, Emma.

Follow Vegan Restaurant Week on Twitter.