This October, we attended the 2018 London VegfestUK 2018, an annual vegan exhibition. We spent about five hours walking around, experiencing the vegan culture of London. In such an open-minded city as London, veganism is developing rapidly.
Founded in 2003, Vegfest holds large-scale vegan exhibitions around Europe every year. This is its sixth year in London, and this time, the festival takes place at the London Olympic Stadium. It spans three floors and showcases all kinds of stalls, from vegan food, skincare, clothing and handicrafts to workshops, sharing sessions and live music. There's so much to see and explore.
According to official statistics on Vegfest's website, the total number of visitors last weekend reached 14,500. This indicates that plant-based/vegan food and lifestyles are drawing more and more people's attention. Comparethemarket.com has conducted a new survey this year, showing that 3.5 million British people have chosen a plant-based diet, which accounts for 7% of the total population in the UK.
We found a wide range of age groups and social groups among visitors. You might see an elderly lady standing in front of bag shelves trying to decide which bag to buy; you might notice a child holding her mother's hand, tasting the free sample of vegan chocolate sauce with excitement. Also, groups of family and friends wandered in front of food stalls that sell delicious cuisines from all over the world, and you might hear them discussing which desserts to try. This event brought together an extensive and diverse group of people.
What impressed us the most was the number of enthusiastic and friendly young people. Some were sharing their experiences of following a vegan diet and some were entrepreneurs who make vegan food or handicrafts. With faith in a better world, they live their life in their way, showing people different possibilities.
At the event, we met Maddie, a famous fitness blogger, on YouTube and Instagram. She was very kind and energetic. Maddie was invited to the event by Vivo Life as its brand ambassador, introducing its delicious sugar-free protein powders. With several influential figures in the fitness industry, Maddie owed her well-being to the vegan diet, which had helped her purify and refresh herself both physically and mentally.
We noticed a stall selling handmade wallets with beautiful leafy patterns as we walked around. It was a cruelty-free fashion brand called Zessoo, founded by AJ. He told us he had spent three years researching and experimenting with making wallets using fallen leaves. Each Zessoo wallet takes an average of 6 weeks to make. Moreover, every time they sell a wallet, they plant a tree.
(Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures of their products. If interested, please click on the link to their website: https://zessoo.com/)
We even met an app developer at the event. Micheal, a British entrepreneur, brought along a new app named Veganist together with his team. It is a convenient platform to find vegan recipes and order food delivery.
We felt delighted and impressed to attend the vegan exhibition in London for the first time. We are so lucky to live in such a prosperous and convenient time and be able to witness and participate in so many meaningful things. It reminded us of the following words:
Remember, every food purchase is a vote. … [E]ach meal, each bite of food, has a rich history as to how and where it grew or was raised, how it was harvested. Our purchases, our votes, will determine the way ahead.
— Harvest for Hope by Jane Goodall
Nowadays, more and more people are in pursuit of a life with higher quality. Everyone wants to live in a world of truthfulness, kindness and beauty. This can happen if we all try to contribute and pay more attention to personal inner development. All living beings are intrinsically connected in many ways. Every choice and every voice matters to our shared future.
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