Raise your green smoothies to Veganuary, the meat-free month

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'Veganuary' has become the latest trend for those looking to bring in the New Year with a detox as supermarkets have revealed a big increase in demand for meat and dairy free food.

It comes as British supermarket chain Waitrose reported a five-fold increase in searches for vegan food on their website in the days running up to New Year, and other stores looking at investing in vegan ranges.

Rival chains Sainsbury's released a new range on January 1st, and Aldi will release new lines later this week, describing the decision as ""More of what you want!"

Stars including Lewis Hamilton, the Formula 1 driver, Woody Harrelson, the actor, and Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus, the pop singers, are among many famous vegans as the lifestyle choice becomes increasingly popular.

The 'Veganuary' campaign, which is being promoted by an international charity of the same name and has seen 120,000 people around the world commit to go vegan, comes after the success of Dry January, a public health campaign prompting people to stop drinking for a month.

Scott McCulloch, co-founder of The Vegan Kind, the biggest vegan supermarket in the UK which has partnered with Veganuary, said that in the four years since they opened there had not been a month that did not surpass the last in terms of sales, but December had been "literally astronomical".

He said that concerns over health, the planet, and cruelty to animals were at the forefront of people's minds, fuelled by a number of popular documentaries on the topic.

Many restaurants and even big name pizza companies now have a vegan option on the menu, so people do not need to change their lifestyle to give up meat and dairy, Mr McCulloch said.

He added: "There is definitely the stereotype of people who were vegan and why they were vegan and the life that they had to live which has now just totally vanished."

The Daily Telegraph, London