eFor the past few years, veganism has undoubtedly been on the rise. In January, a record 500,000 people signed up for the annual Veganuary campaign, which challenges participants to only eat plant-based foods for a month. Thatâs double the number of people who pledged in 2019.
In the UK, one in four Britons actively cut back on animal products in the pandemic, according to a report by The Vegan Society called Changing Diets During the Covid-19 Pandemic. Meanwhile, non-meat substitutes boomed, with global alternative protein companies receiving $3.1 billion in disclosed investments in 2020, according to the Good Food Institute.
With this rising interest, thereâs also unsurprisingly been an increase in scrutiny of the diet, with many saying itâs too difficult, unenjoyable and expensive.
How expensive is vegan food?
Most vegans are quick to say itâs a myth that they spend more money than their meat-eating counterparts â but is it?
âIt really depends how you shop,â says business owner Ananda Shakespeare, who has never eaten meat, fish or eggs in her life. âIf youâre buying organic or readymade food, prices can be high, but if you shop at markets or cheaper supermarkets, it is cheaper.
âI was brought up by a single mother and our income was low, but everything was made from scratch and extremely cheaply, while also being healthy.â
Shakespeare says itâs easy for costs to mushroom when people start buying meat alternatives, as more processed replacement foods tend to be pricier. A review of the products available on local e-store Kibsons shows a pack of two Beyond Meat burgers costs Dh35, while a pack of four lentil burgers costs Dh14.75. Four beef patties from New Zealand cost Dh26.25, while four of Angus beef from the US cost Dh48.
Thatâs in the UAE, though, where food is often more expensive as itâs imported. In the UK, however, where thereâs a push for more affordable, seasonal and local produce, a recent study by data analytics company Kantar suggests vegans spend on average 40 per cent less on food than omnivores, and that meals take one-third less time to create.
Dubai resident Emily Evans, whose husband and 19-month-old son are also vegan, says itâs easy to go overboard when youâre buying faux meat products. âI donât think itâs cheap. I think people who say it can be done cheaply arenât wrong, but I donât think itâs as simple as that. Yes, fruit and veg â if you buy seasonal, local produce at a market â and store staples such as rice and pasta, are cheap. However, nowadays, with so many amazing vegan products out there â burgers, ice cream, cheese, etc â living off carbs and veg doesnât seem to cut it any more.â
While Evans and her partner, who both work full-time, have recently opted for a vegan meal plan by a local catering company, she says her previous grocery bills could often rack up to about Dh1,500 per week. âThe fake meat isnât cheap,â she admits. âOne brand of sausages is Dhs45 for two, while another brand is Dhs26 for six. So I guess like anything you need to shop around and donât buy the most expensive stuff, or save that for a treat.â
Shakespeare, on the other hand, who has also opted for a meal plan owing to her busy lifestyle, says a weekly grocery shop for one doesnât have to cost much more than Dh200 per week. Thatâs if youâre sticking to a wholefoods, plant-based diet, which relies on ingredients such as fruit, vegetables, grains, pulses, legumes, nuts and more.
A wholefoods, plant-based diet
âSome of the easiest and cheapest vegan recipes are what we call in Egypt âordeehiâ recipes, which are simple, usually bean-based, working-class meals,â says Nada El Barshoumi, who runs the food blog One Arab Vegan.
âIn fact, both of the national dishes in Egypt, koshary â a mix of rice, pasta, legumes, fried onions and a spicy tomato sauce â and ful medames â mashed fava beans made for breakfast â are entirely vegan and very budget-friendly.â
One of El Barshoumiâs go-to meals thatâs âlight on the pocketâ is a bowl. âI always use this formula: a grain, a green and a protein, plus toppings. For example, some brown rice, whatever fresh greens that are locally sold near me, chickpeas, and I add on whatever fresh or roasted veggies I have on hand.â
Shakespeare says good, affordable meals sheâll often make include jacket potatoes, beans on toast, dal, curries, pasta, roasted vegetables, soups and sandwiches.
Evans similarly relies on beans and toast, but also highly recommends stir-fry. âItâs one of those meals you can make with what seems like anything. You can add any veg you have leftover in your fridge, some tofu if you have it, but if not, all vegetables works well, too. Add some soy sauce and rice or noodles, and thatâs it. So simple and easy yet super-delicious and cheap.â
For anyone who is thinking of making the switch, there are tricks to keeping costs down, so that you actually save instead of splurge. For example, shop in more reasonably priced supermarkets, says Shakespeare.
âMake one dish go further â a hearty kidney bean stew is equally nice with veg, rice or pasta. If youâre time-poor, make a batch at the weekend and freeze it. If you have time to spare, make your own hummus, buy dry pulses and soak them. There are plenty of ways to eat ethically while being equally kind to your wallet.â
El Barshoumi, who has written an entire blog post on the subject, advises buying local and in bulk, treating speciality foods as a treat, and she says we shouldnât be afraid to substitute obscure ingredients in recipes for something more simple, or omit the ingredient altogether. âIf I had a dollar for every time I went out to buy an obscure, expensive ingredient for a recipe, I probably wouldâve made all my money back. If your recipe calls for raw apple cider vinegar or nama shoyu sauce and you donât have it, just leave it out or substitute with something similar.â
Evans says itâs also worth doing some research into whatâs in season. âFind your local fruit and veg market and buy from there rather than a shop. Itâs almost always drastically cheaper.â
A mark of privilege?
Veganism is not only about food, though, Evans points out, as ethical vegans also eschew any toiletries, household products and even clothes that have involved animals in the production process. âIf you want to go more in-depth and look at veganism as a whole, then I would be inclined to say itâs for the rich. Toiletries and household products, for instance, can be incredibly cheap, but vegan versions arenât. Itâs almost as if you have to pay more to be kinder to the world, environment and animals. If itâs vegan, itâs more often than not also organic, free of any nasties, and environmentally friendly, which is amazing, but it comes with a price tag.â
Alongside criticism of costs, many also say veganism is a mark of privilege, as in poverty-stricken countries people might not have the education or choice to opt for such as a diet.
El Barshoumi agrees with this, to an extent. âWe canât talk about a fair and equitable world without addressing the role that privilege plays when it comes to the awareness and understanding around a plant-based diet,â she says. âAt the end of the day, even though rice, beans and vegetables cost a fraction of more traditional animal-based ingredients, we pay a high proverbial price to gain access to research, books, documentaries â and even more tolerant societies â that make a strong case for a vegan diet as a healthier one.
âThat being said, I believe itâs up to those who are more privileged â myself included â to exercise compassion and understanding towards those who are reluctant to adopt or even understand veganism. Itâs a very elitist and small-minded perspective to adopt, in my opinion.â
Evans echoes these sentiments. âI think Iâm very privileged to be able to live a vegan lifestyle, as I know not everyone can. I truly believe most of the people on this planet could go vegan and the world would be a better place for it, but there are lots of people who donât have a choice about what they eat. Many people in the world donât have access to fruit and vegetables, let alone fake meat and cheese. So many people in the world donât even have access to fresh drinking water, which is absolutely barbaric and shocking and incomprehensible.â
Whether veganism is a mark of privilege or not doesnât matter, though, says Evans. âIf you can go vegan, you should. If you canât, then the world needs to change because everyone should be able to make that choice for themselves.â
Shakespeare says: âEvery single person who is vegan makes a difference. According to the vegan calculator, in my lifestyle, Iâve saved over 17,000 animals from death, over 19 million gallons of water, 520,000 square feet of rainforest and more than 694,000 pounds of grain.
âEven if you go vegan one night a week, one day a week or slowly transition to being vegetarian or vegan over time, you are making a different to making our planet one of more compassion.â