• Origins of Vegetarianism
• Dark Times Strengthen Vegetarian Ideals
• Vegetarianism Gets Organised

VEGETARIANISM GROWS

• The outbreak of the Second World War had a somewhat positive effect on vegetarianism. The population of Great Britain was vigorously encouraged to ‘Dig For Victory’ and grow their own fruits and vegetables due to food shortages and rationing. It is said that children who grew up during this period were later discovered to be significantly healthy thanks to their wartime diet of foods that were low in fat and sugar but high in fibre.



• Therefore, the health of the nation improved greatly during the war years thanks to the sustenance provided by a near-vegetarian diet and, in fact, it is claimed that many people probably maintained their vegetarianism after the war had ended. The impact of the drastic alteration of the nation’s diet saw the creation of The Vegan Society in 1944 - an organisation founded by vegetarians who ate no foods derived from animals, which included eggs and dairy produce.



• The post-war decades of the 1950s and 60s revealed, for the first time, the truth behind intensive factory farming, which was introduced to increase food production following the cessation of hostilities and the realisation of the need to rebuild food supplies. Many people were horrified by what they learned; perceiving it as downright cruelty to animals and, thus, vegetarian cuisine began to flourish, as it was the alternative to eating meat.



• The appeal of vegetarian cuisine grew with the counterculture of the mid-60s, which opposed violence and sought to promote world peace. The upsurge in such sentiment probably abetted the decision for The London Vegetarian Society to return to its roots and operate beneath the banner of The Vegetarian Society as they both agreed to amalgamate in 1969.



• A steady, but conspicuous, growth in vegetarianism occurred throughout the 1970s and 1980s with The Vegetarian Society leading the way in seeking to educate the nation with its campaigns. Vegetarianism was then given a major boost during the 1980s and 90s as the world became more aware of humanity’s impact on the Earth’s resources and the dire consequences for its environment. Many began to clamour for a ‘greener’ world and altered their diets accordingly by adopting vegetarianism to help save the environment and the planet’s natural resources.