Eight Per Cent of UK Children Eat Vegan Diets

Vegans may be the subject of derision and jibes online, but it’s a philosophy that is being embraced by British parents.

According to a study of 2,177 parents, 8 per cent were bringing their child up on a vegan diet, 13 per cent vegetarian and 79 per cent on meat.

Of all the people taking part, a 22 per cent had strict dietary requirements due to allergies, such as dairy or lactose intolerance.

The findings by VoucherCodesPro.co.uk, revealed that it was a 97 per cent majority of parents who decided their children would be vegan, not the child themselves.

Health benefits was the main reason behind 61 per cent’s decision with another 36 per cent concerned about animal cruelty.

But half of parents with vegan children admitted their child had asked to eat meat at some point.

“With Veganuary in full swing and so many people searching for vegan and vegetarian-related discounts on our site, we wanted to find out if any parents were raising their children on these meat free and vegan diets,” George Charles, spokesperson for VoucherCodesPro.co.uk, said.

“The figures were higher than we expected and I personally was shocked to find that, for the most part, it’s the parent’s decision rather than the child’s.

“Before considering changing your child’s diet, you should ensure that you’re aware of the foods they need to eat to get the nutrition that they need; because eliminating meat and animal produce from their diet will mean you need to give them their protein and such like in a different way.”