Vegan food geographies and the rise of Big Veganism

Abstract

Veganism is the subject of an increasingly diverse body of social scientific research, yet it remains relatively understudied in geography. Meanwhile, contemporary cultural commentaries note how veganism has gone mainstream, with critics warning of veganism’s corporate nature – expressed in the rise of what we term ‘Big Veganism’. We argue that food geographers are well placed to examine these trends. We first review vegan studies work beyond geography that examines and critiques the mainstreaming of veganism. We focus on literature that explores multiple contested modes of veganism, veganism as praxis in place and the rise of corporate veganism as useful foundations for geographers to build on, particularly in light of currently unfolding developments in vegan cultures and practice. Taking this work forward, we identify four conceptual traditions from research in food geographies – following foodways, alternative food networks and the cultural and material politics of eating – to develop a ‘vegan food geographies’ programme that aims to advance critical geographic work on veganism and the emerging implications of its contemporary mainstreaming.

Green rebranding: Regenerative agriculture, future‐pasts, and the naturalisation of livestock

“…Finally, as McGregor et al (2021) argue in their analysis of the biopolitics of cattle methane emissions reduction, this probiotic biopolitics also affirms an individualised 'green governmentality' centred on the consumer-citizen, who must be engaged and empowered to make rational, ecological decisions, and economically secure enough to act on them. This is also the case with no-cow Big Veganism (Sexton et al, 2022). While producers and retailers supporting regenerative agriculture may be cautiously willing to engage in the model of 'less and better' meat, they have done much more to encourage the latter than the former (Trewern et al, 2021).…”

The vegan industrial complex: the political ecology of not eating animals

“…Veganism as a political approach to problems of animal cruelty and abuse in the food system rejects reformism as an answer, and links animal suffering to exploitation (Gunderman & White, 2020;Hodge et al, 2022). Frequently charged with whiteness and elitism, veganism has gained little ground in its campaign to end meat eating 4 and many vegan products are profitably incorporated into corporate food product lines (Sexton, Garnett & Lorimer, 2022). McGregor & Houston (2018) suggest veganism as one solution to the contemporary problem of cattle in the food system.…”

Veg(an) Tales: Vegan Identity Making in the United States

“…Greenwashing is a company's symbolic marking of its products as reflecting concern for ethical standards without actually changing their practices and regulations (Delmas & Burbano 2011). So, vegan mainstreaming consists of essentially advertising and selling products that are physical manifestations of associated liberation for profit means, with the "plant-based" label becoming a societal symbol of the liberation associated with the founding principles of veganism (Sexton et al 2022;Scales 2017). Essentially, the market infiltrates the movement, and core messages and philosophies end up weakening and getting lost within the market, and political action then gets reduced to the act of purchasing a commodity (Munir 2021; Kelpin 2020).…”

“…According to Sexton et al (2022), issues arise because big agricultural food corporations market vegan offerings through the commercial pathway of health veganism, which results in more expensive products targeted at "wealthier health-conscious consumers" (609). Furthermore, the introduction of "flexitarianism" among marketing places vegan food at an interesting intersection.…”

“…The corporatization of the environment and the greenwashing of corporate practices contribute to the growth of green capitalism, defined as: "a form of environmentalism that emphasizes the economic value of ecosystems and biological diversity and attempts to reduce human environmental impacts by ensuring that the importance of environmental services is reflected in the way that markets operate" (Scales 2017:1). The private sector's embrace of green capitalism is a method of avoiding true structural change, neutralizing a movement's anti-establishment aims, and partaking in greenwashing that minimizes the consumer's perception of the affected harm (de Jong et al 2020;Pistor 2021;Sexton et al 2022).…”