To be fair, many manufacturers cannot keep up with the world’s demand. For this reason, there is a significant problem in accessing food worldwide. Unfortunately, the products offered for sale at high prices cannot reach everyone. Still, being vegan isn’t expensive either, in addition to the inability to meet this food demand. In other words, vegan nutrition does not offer a significant cost compared to ‘standard nutrition’. Well, Is it expensive to be vegan?

Is it expensive to be vegan? It varies

As veganism has become more mainstream, there is more discussion about its merits and problems, including views on how expensive a vegan diet is.

There are many nations in the world. Among these nations, dietary habits are directly proportional to access to food. India and Pakistan, the two countries that consume the least meat in the world, prefer a ‘vegan or vegetarian‘ diet because of their religious beliefs. Following this, Burundi, an African country, is the third country where meat is consumed the least due to poverty. So, there is a problem in accessing basic food.

Let’s talk about whether a vegan diet is expensive or not. First of all, research has shown that vegan meals are 40 percent cheaper than their meat or fish-containing counterparts. According to VeganFoodAndLiving, The main meal containing meat or fish costs on average £1.77 per person, compared to a plant-based dish which costs just £1.06 per person. Moreover, a vegan dinner was 32% quicker to prepare than a meat-based dish, at 25.4 minutes.

Vegan meals are both more affordable and prepared in less time. Also, it is healthier and easier to digest.

The research, carried out by Kantar, also tracked purchases from 30,000 British households for a year. This revealed that vegan households spent 8% less on a grocery trip than non-vegan households of a similar size. The average vegan shopping basket was found to cost £16.47 while a non-vegan basket added up to £17.91.

In addition to these studies, the purchasing power of the country of residence also affects whether a vegan diet is more affordable. For example, if grocery shopping in a country has very high costs, but people cannot fill their bags too much, we can conclude that the price of normal food products is also high. In other words, in countries where normal food products are high or costly, vegan diets can also reach high prices. Still, it is a fact that meat and animal products are more expensive than plant-based ones.

What is meant here is that buying 1 kilogram of meat and 1 kilogram of legumes do not have the same costs.

Despite everything, Recent research from the University of Bath further supports this view, as the expense was named alongside taste and convenience as the key reasons why meat-eaters do not switch to veganism.

Some ways that you can save money on a vegan diet are listed below:

• Don’t just try to copy your previous meals like-for-like with vegan substitutes; try new meals and combinations
• Buy dried goods in bulk (especially when on offer!)
• Choose dried beans and legumes rather than tins of cooked ones
• Replace some of your fresh fruit and vegetables with frozen
• Think about whether you would use all of an item you purchase for a recipe; if not, see if you could leave it out or substitute it for something else
• If possible, try growing some of your own herbs and vegetables
• Cook from scratch and limit how many ready-made meals and food items you eat
• Treat yourself. Sometimes, if you’re trying to save money, you often feel like you can’t justify buying any treats.

References:

• https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/research-finds-vegan-meals-cheaper-than-meat-and-fish/#:~:text=A%20new%20study%20has%20revealed,less%20on%20food%20than%20omnivores.
• https://www.vegansociety.com/news/blog/why-does-veganism-have-expensive-reputation
• https://www.peta.org/about-peta/faq/vegan-options-are-more-expensive-than-their-nonvegetarian-counterparts-can-i-afford-to-go-vegan/

Photos:

• Unsplash