The Vegan Society is a registered charity in the United Kingdom, promoting the vegan diet.

Founded in Britain on November 1, 1944, by Donald Watson, it was the first ever vegan society, in the process coining the word vegan for "non-dairy vegetarians". The word has since passed into common usage and is used now in a variety of ways. See Veganism for more information. The date of the society's founding, November 1st, is now celebrated annually as World Vegan Day.

Activities

• Information - e.g. the , leaflets, books, videos
• Support - network of local contacts
• Licenses its trademarked Sunflower symbol to companies - for the labelling of vegan products
• Publishes The Vegan - a quarterly magazine sent free to members of the society
• Publishes the Animal-Free Shopper - a list of vegan items available in the UK (updated every two years or so)

Movement for Compassionate Living

A 'breakaway' group from the Vegan Society, The Movement for Compassionate Living was founded in 1984 by former VS secretary Kathleen Jannaway.

See also

• Veganism
• Fruitarianism