Life News
Veganuary claims 30 million participants: tofu runs short in Germany, billboards go up in Lima
The nonprofit Veganuary says more than 30 million people worldwide took part in its January 2026 campaign. In Germany, the retail magazine Lebensmittel Praxis reported on 4 February that over 1,000 companies joined with new products, dishes and promotions, and that several firms reported record sales, some up more than 80%. High demand caused tofu shortages at large retail chains, which Veganuary said Rewe, Lidl and Edeka put down to the campaign. Burger King told the magazine that about one in five Whoppers it sells is vegan.
In Mexico, Excélsior reported on 5 February that this was the campaign's sixth year in Latin America, with billboards in Santiago and Lima, a light installation in Buenos Aires and more than 100 brands offering deals in countries including Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Colombia. The pledge was also offered in Hindi for the first time.
“hemos vivido el enero más vegano de la historia” (we have lived the most vegan January in history) — Mauricio Serrano, Veganuary Latin America, via Excélsior
How each outlet framed it
- Lebensmittel Praxis — a business story: sales jumps, empty tofu shelves and vegan shares in canteens rising from 23% to 40% at one caterer.
- Excélsior — a regional story: how the campaign spread through Latin American cities, shops and restaurant menus.
What we don't know yet: Excélsior notes the 30 million is an estimate, extrapolated from national surveys in 12 campaign countries and applied to population figures, not a direct count. Neither report gives a Mexico-specific number.