The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom (VSUK) is a British registered charity that promotes vegetarian diets. It licenses Vegetarian Society Approved trademarks for vegetarian and vegan products, runs a cookery school and lottery, and organises National Vegetarian Week in the United Kingdom.
The Society was founded in 1847 at Ramsgate, Kent, after earlier activity by British groups that promoted meat-free diets. It later split into the Manchester and London Vegetarian Societies in 1888, before the two organisations reunited in 1969 as the Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom.
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Focus areas and activities
The Vegetarian Society campaigns to encourage dietary changes, reduce meat consumption, and assist policymakers in developing a more compassionate food system.
In 1969, the Society introduced the Vegetarian Society Approved trademark. It launched a Vegetarian Society Approved vegan trademark in 2017. The trademarks are licensed to companies for products that contain only vegetarian or vegan ingredients, and for which no non-vegetarian or non-vegan substances were used during production. They are used on products sold in shops and supermarkets, and on restaurant dishes. In 2022, McDonald's launched the McPlant burger across the United Kingdom, accredited with the Vegetarian Society Approved vegan trademark.
National Vegetarian Week is the charity's main annual event. It started in 1992 as a single day and was later expanded into a full week.
The Vegetarian Society Cookery School runs leisure classes in vegetarian and vegan cooking. It works with charities and community groups to provide cookery courses, and offers training for professional chefs and people seeking work in the food sector through its Professional Chef's Diploma programme.
History
19th century
In the 19th century, several groups in Britain promoted and followed meat-free diets. Groups involved in the formation of the Vegetarian Society included members of the Bible Christian Church, supporters of the Concordium, and readers of the Truth-Tester journal.
The Bible Christian Church was founded in 1809 in Salford by Reverend William Cowherd after a split from the Swedenborgians. One feature of the Bible Christians was a belief in a meat-free diet, or ovo-lacto vegetarianism, as a form of temperance.
The Concordium was a boarding school near London on Ham Common, Richmond, Surrey, which opened in 1838. Pupils at the school followed a diet without animal products, now described as a vegan diet. The Concordium was also called Alcott House, after the American education and food reform advocate Amos Bronson Alcott. In 1843, members of Alcott House created the British and Foreign Society for the Promotion of Humanity and Abstinence from Animal Food, led by Sophia Chichester, a benefactor of Alcott House.
The Truth-Tester was a journal that published material supporting the temperance movement. In 1846, the editorship was taken over by William Horsell, operator of the Northwood Villa Hydropathic Institute in Ramsgate. Horsell gradually moved the Truth-Tester towards promotion of a "Vegetable Diet". In early 1847, a letter to the Truth-Tester proposed the formation of a Vegetarian Society. In response, William Oldham held what he called a "physiological conference" in July 1847 at the Concordium. Up to 130 people attended, including the Bible Christian James Simpson, who presented a speech. The conference passed several resolutions, including one to reconvene at the end of September.
On 30 September 1847, the meeting planned at the Physiological Conference took place at Northwood Villa Hydropathic Institute in Ramsgate. Joseph Brotherton, MP for Salford, and a Bible Christian, chaired. James Simpson was elected president of the society, the Concordist William Oldham was elected treasurer, and Truth-Tester editor William Horsell was elected secretary. The name "Vegetarian Society" was chosen for the new organisation by a unanimous vote.
The Vegetarian Society's first full public meeting was held in Manchester the following year. It attracted 265 members aged 14 to 76, and 232 attended the dinner after the meeting. By 1853, it had 889 members.
20th century
In 1907, James Christopher Street, J. Stenson Hooker, Ernest Nyssens and Eustace Miles were speakers at the 60th anniversary of the Vegetarian Society in Manchester. In 1920, the MVS hosted a summer school at Arnold House, Llanddulas, with around 70 attendees each week. Both societies organised holidays and outings for vegetarians, and the MVS's May meetings remained annual events after World War II.
World War I was a difficult period for vegetarians; no allowance was made for vegetarians in the armed forces.
During World War II, the Committee of Vegetarian Interests was established, with members from the two Vegetarian Societies, health food manufacturers, and retailers, to negotiate with the Ministry of Food. During the war, the blockade of the United Kingdom led to food shortages, and the government became closely involved in the diet of civilians. Food was rationed, with ration coupons required to buy rationed goods. Vegetarians who registered with their local Food Office received special ration books. These had no meat ration, but included more ration coupons for cheese, eggs, and nuts. About 100,000 people were officially registered as vegetarians in the United Kingdom during the war.
Meat rations during the war were small, to increase the food supply. Many meals were vegetarian, and the government promoted vegetarian recipes. The population ate more cereals and vegetables, and less meat. Many people retained wartime eating habits after the war. There was also public interest in nutrition and diet, and the effects of eating less meat.
In the 1950s, vegetarian cuisine became more popular. Walter Fleiss, who owned the Vega restaurant near Leicester Square in London, lobbied for the inclusion of a vegetarian category in the Salon Culinaire Food Competition. The Society sponsored the event and later competitions.
The inclusion of eggs and dairy in a vegetarian diet was a long-running topic of debate within the Society. In 1944, Donald Watson, a member of the LVS, suggested creating a separate group for people who followed a dairy- and egg-free diet. This led to the establishment of The Vegan Society.
21st century
The Vegetarian Society Awards began in 2001 and recognised businesses and services for vegetarians in the United Kingdom. The first ceremony took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, with later events at the Waldorf Hotel and the Magic Circle headquarters. These early events were open to members and the public, and included fundraising activities such as celebrity auctions and raffles, with prizes donated by vegetarian-friendly companies.
In 2003, the Society launched a "Fishconception" campaign after a survey found that many restaurants, canteens, and hospitals mistakenly believed that vegetarians eat fish. The campaign sought to correct this misconception and advise the catering industry on vegetarian standards.
In 2017, the Vegetarian Society launched Veggie Lotto, described as the first vegetarian and vegan lottery in the United Kingdom. Tickets are priced at £1, with 50p allocated to the Society. Funds raised support training for caterers, free courses for community groups and vulnerable people, and the promotion of vegetarian and vegan food.
Historian Ina Zweiniger-Bargielowska has written that "against the background of growing concern about the environment, animal rights, and food safety the society has flourished in recent decades."
In 2024, the Vegetarian Society announced a rebrand. It adopted a new logo, magazine branding and website. In the same year, the Society moved its head office to Ancoats, Manchester. In 2025, the Vegetarian Society opened COOK in the former Ancoats electricity sub-station as a cooking centre, supper club, and event space.
Publications
The Vegetarian Society has issued several periodicals since its founding. Its first was William Horsell's The Vegetarian Advocate (1848–1850). Following doctrinal differences, it was superseded by James Simpson's The Vegetarian Messenger (1849–1860), which was succeeded by The Dietetic Reformer and Vegetarian Messenger (1861–1897; titled The Vegetarian Messenger from 1887). Later titles included The Vegetarian Messenger and Health Review (1898–1952), The Vegetarian (1953–1958), The British Vegetarian (1959–1971), The Vegetarian (1971–1976), The New Vegetarian (1977–1978), Alive (1978–1980), and The Vegetarian (1980–2024). Its current membership magazine, The Pod, is published three times a year.
During the 1870s and 1880s, contributors to The Dietetic Reformer and Vegetarian Messenger often used biological evolution in their arguments, interpreting it through a teleological lens to support vegetarian ideas.
Women including Dr Anna Kingsford (1846–1888), Dr Frances Hoggan (1843–1927), Annie Besant (1847–1933), Chandos Leigh Hunt Wallace (1854–1927), and Beatrice Lindsay lectured on vegetarianism, and their names and work appeared regularly in The Vegetarian Messenger. In 1885, Lindsay, a graduate of Girton College, Cambridge, became the first woman to edit the Society's journal, then titled The Dietetic Reformer and Vegetarian Messenger.
Patrons
The Vegetarian Society has had several patrons. Rose Elliot, who became a patron in 2002, is the author of more than fifty vegetarian cookbooks and received an MBE in 1999. Actor Jerome Flynn became a patron after adopting a vegetarian lifestyle at 18. Musician Paul McCartney and his late wife Linda became patrons in 1995. Fashion designer Stella McCartney and photographer Mary McCartney joined their parents as patrons. Television presenter Wendy Turner-Webster, a vegan, became a patron in 2004.