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80 years of The Vegan magazine

From Kim Stallwood
November 2024

‘As this first issue of our periodical had to be named,’ Watson wrote as its first editor, ‘I have used the title The Vegan News.’ ‘Our diet will become known as a VEGAN diet,’ he declared, ‘and we should aspire to the rank of VEGANS.’ Watson and the society’s founding members constructed the word ‘vegan’ from the first and last letters of the word ‘vegetarian’.

magazine The Vegan

The Vegan Society is currently celebrating its octogenary with its founding in 1944 by Donald Watson (1910-2005) and a small but dedicated group of pioneers who broke away from The Vegetarian Society. They recognised all animal products involved cruelty and suffering. Along with meat, they wanted to also boycott eggs, milk, cheese, leather, honey, and silk.

As part of its 80th anniversary, I was invited to write an article to examine its magazine, The Vegan, through four decades of publication. The article, ‘80 Years of The Vegan’, is published in its current issue.

‘As this first issue of our periodical had to be named,’ Watson wrote as its first editor, ‘I have used the title The Vegan News.’ ‘Our diet will become known as a VEGAN diet,’ he declared, ‘and we should aspire to the rank of VEGANS.’ Watson and the society’s founding members constructed the word ‘vegan’ from the first and last letters of the word ‘vegetarian’.

The Vegan News went to 20 members in 1944. Today, The Vegan Society has thousands of members, and its magazine has an estimated circulation of more than 15,000. Veganism emerged from the fringes of society when Britain fought against fascism in World War Two and reaches today’s mainstream as the climate emergency threatens the future of life on Earth. Veganism continues to be a foundational ethic for world peace.

In 1976, I became a vegan and joined the Society. Apart from a lapse when I lived and worked in the United States for 20 years and some forgetfulness here and there, I have been a member for nearly 50 years. I encourage every vegan and aspiring vegan to join The Vegan Society.

Back copies of The Vegan from the latest issue published to the first edited by Donald Watson in 1944 are available to read for free at The Vegan Society’s page on the Issuu website. 

Posted on All-Creatures: November 25, 2024
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