After Delia Smith's remarks, we ask Derby people - is veganism wrong?

Veganism is more than just a lifestyle choice.

It can be a highly divisive topic too.

In a recent article, celebrity chef Delia Smith denounced veganism as “wrong”, adding that it “doesn’t help the planet”.

The 82-year-old said: “Everything within me tells me that [veganism is] wrong.

“If people just want to eat vegetables, and some people do, that’s fine.

“But don’t say you’re helping the planet - because you’re not, full stop.”

Apart from appearing to dislike the popularity of veganism, it is unclear why the acclaimed food writer made anti-veganism comments without backing up her opinions with scientific evidence or facts.

What is veganism?

For the uninitiated, veganism is a way of living that “excludes as much as possible, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose”.

Instead, it promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment.

In dietary terms this means avoiding all products derived wholly or partly from animals.

Reasons why people explore a vegan lifestyle

Why do people “go vegan”?

People embrace the vegan lifestyle for many reasons.

They may feel a heightened level of compassion for animals and therefore dislike the idea of eating animals and their by-products.

Some may want to explore a vegan diet due to allergies.

A 2020 survey showed 32 per cent of people suffer from intolerance to cow’s milk and products made with cow’s milk such as butter, cheese, cream or yoghurt - this also happened to be the highest percentage among all listed foods.

People may want to live a more sustainable life as they aim to be more thoughtful about the environment.

According to Vegetarians’ International Voice for Animals, vegan diets result in 76 per cent less land use and 50 per cent less greenhouse gas emissions.

However, it may not be as simplistic as this when you bear in mind a BBC investigation studying climate benefits of veganism and vegetarianism.

It found that despite an average plant-based diet having significantly fewer carbon emissions, on some days a vegetarian diet - where dairy and eggs were consumed - came out as the diet with fewer carbon emissions.

Your views

Veganism may be a dividing topic, so DerbyWorld spoke to Derby people to hear their thoughts on this polarising lifestyle choice.

Jane Whitmore has been a vegetarian for the past 40 years and a vegan since 2016.

Her reasons for following a vegan lifestyle are to be respectful to animals, be mindful of her health and the environment.

She said: “We have got to do something about the planet, we can’t carry on destroying it because we are getting to the point of no return.”

Reflecting on the health aspect, Jane said: “I am not here to pass judgement - people can eat meat and fish and be healthy.

“I personally am healthier following a vegan diet - I am a healthy weight and I exercise every single day.

“I have an autoimmune illness and there are studies that show dairy is not good for this.”

Over the years, Jane has found it increasingly easier to enjoy her vegan diet, simply because of the wide range of vegan options available.

She said: “When I became vegetarian as a child, I ate a lot of vegetable lasagna.

“Today, there is so much stuff available, from lentils and chickpeas to seitan and tofu.

“Indian food is my favourite, especially South Indian food, such as daal, chickpea curry, dosa and samosa chaat.”

There is definitely more vegan food available today in comparison to even 10 years ago.

The vegan hashtag has more than 127 million Instagram posts, which could be an indication of the popularity of this lifestyle choice.

Vedi Derby is a vegan and vegetarian eatery on Liversage Street.

They serve breakfast bagels, roti wraps, burgers, Buddha Bowls, smoothies, milkshakes and more.

They say their menu uses finest local and organic produce and they strive to serve food in a friendly and sustainable way.

Resh, owner of Vedi, said: “People eat vegan food for a number of reasons including social and cultural.

“We don’t push anyone to be vegan - instead we focus on providing food that tastes nice.

“I personally think it [a vegan lifestyle] is helpful to the planet due to environmental issues, but it is essentially people’s choice what they want to eat.”

The vegan label may well have issues of its own.

Melbourne Delicatessen and Kitchen is a vegan-friendly eatery which makes traditional Lebanese food, a lot of which is vegan.

A spokesperson for the deli said: “Lebanese people don’t eat falafel and hummus because it’s vegan, but because the right falafel and hummus tastes amazing.

“When selling falafel, we don’t open with ‘it is vegan and gluten-free’ as it actually puts some customers off.

“It’s almost as if they feel it will be missing something without even trying it.

“If they try it without knowing, then nine times out of 10 they love it.

“And of course, vegans, coeliacs and those with intolerances are grateful for it too.”

People finding labels “off-putting” is an interesting concept and one which may also impact people’s lives.

Tensions can run high both online and offline as people jostle to make their voices heard.

Chef Paul Fisher, 40, has been in the food industry since he was 16-years-old.

He reflected on the reported abuse received by fellow chef John Mountain who banned vegans from his restaurant.

Paul said: “I know that John Mountain is having issues with a vegan activist in Perth Western Australia.

“But attacking the restaurant and him personally, saying they know where he lives and carrying out threats to his family, really isn’t a good thing.

“To me that is not the correct way to get people to respect your beliefs.”

What do you think on this topic? Email your thoughts to [email protected]