During the month of January, Veganuary takes place, an annual international campaign run by the UK non-profit organisation of the same name that promotes veganism, encouraging people around the world to adopt a vegan lifestyle for the month and beyond.
During this month, and having noted a 40 per cent rise in demand for plant-based meals, Emirates has announced it will be introducing a range of new vegan dishes onboard and in lounges later this year.
It noted that in 2023, it had 300 vegan recipes in rotation across 140 destinations, a figure up from 180 recipes in 2022. Further, last year, it served up more than 450,000 plant-based meals onboard, an increase from 280,000 plant-based meals served in 2022.
The airline also noted that in some regions, consumption of plant-based meals had exceeded passenger volume growth – such as Africa with an additional 4 per cent increase, Southeast Asia with an additional 5 per cent increase, and the Middle East with an increase of 34%.
The data also revealed that the biggest jump in the consumption of vegan meals occurred in Economy Class.
Emirates routes to China, Japan, and the Philippines, specifically, saw a significant increase.
Some of the offerings across the different seat classes include chickpea crepe stuffed with carrot, peppers, mushroom and tomato concasse in Economy Class; jackfruit curry with basmati rice in Premium Economy Class; shitake mushroom with glass noodles in Business Class; and polenta cake with thyme mushroom ragout in First Class.
It shared there are further vegan dishes to be introduced later in the year.