Vegan News for October 2025
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The Vegan Society of Hawaii sponsors online and in-person presentations. Check here for updates.
Moku Roots offers a series of vegan brunches and dinners at its Kula farm. Sign up for notices about ongoing events.
NEWS AND TRENDS
Doctor-Led Nonprofit Says Meat and Dairy are Behind Rising Non-Communicable Disease Rates In US
Vegan dog food provides similar nutrients to meat-based diets, new study finds
HEALTH AND NUTRITION
Fortified foods and dietary supplements key to bone health in vegan diets, says study
22 almonds a day may help prolong your health span, study finds
SPORTS AND FITNESS
Vegan Crowned Natural World’s Strongest Man In Category For Third Year
Vegan runner, 87, proves age is no limit with quest for 100 ultra-marathons
CONNECTIONS
If you live on Maui or visit regularly, you might visit three Facebook pages, Vegan on Maui, Maui Vegans and the Facebook companion page to this website, Maui Vegan Life.
THIS MONTH IN VEGAN HISTORY
Alcott House Launches Reform in October — October 15, 1843
A short-lived early vegetarian experiment associated with Alcott House was formally launched on October 15, 1843; it promoted abstention from animal foods and helped seed later vegetarian networks in Britain.
Victorian Vegan Baking, October Issue — October 1848
The Vegetarian Advocate’s October 1848 issue ran inventive non-dairy recipes, including oil-based pound cakes and a mashed-potato-and-oil ‘cheesecake’, an uncanny precursor to modern vegan baking.
A Future Icon Is Born: Gandhi’s Birthday, Vegetarian Roots — October 2, 1869
Mohandas K. Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869; his lifelong commitment to ahimsa, self-restraint and vegetarian practice later became a moral reference point for diet-based nonviolence worldwide.
Elsie Shrigley, Future Vegan Pioneer, Is Born — October 30, 1899
Elsie Beatrice Shrigley was born October 30, 1899; she would co- found The Vegan Society and help forge the early definition, organization, and advocacy of veganism in mid-20th century Britain.
From March to October: World Animal Day Anchors on October 4 — October 4 (established 1925, widely observed October 4 thereafter)
Although the inaugural congress took place earlier in 1925, organizers and later campaigners anchored the annual celebration to October 4, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi; today World Animal Day is observed on October 4.
World Vegetarian Day Declared, October 1 Becomes the Kickoff — October 1, 1977
The North American Vegetarian Society established World Vegetarian Day on October 1, 1977; the International Vegetarian Union endorsed it the following year, making October a month of coordinated vegetarian outreach and education.
Gandhi’s Birthday Adopted for Farmed Animal Advocacy — October 2, 1983
Animal-rights organizers founded World Day for Farmed Animals in 1983 and set it on October 2 to coincide with Gandhi’s birthday; the date became a global focal point for remembering farmed animals and for mass outreach actions each October.
Tofurky’s First Market Footprints, Trademark First-Use in October — October 1995
Turtle Island Foods developed and introduced the Tofurky roast in 1995; trademark records and company histories list the product’s first use as October 1995, tying the brand’s origin to the autumn holiday season when roasts become culturally visible.
Raw Food on Maui, Profiled on Halloween Eve — October 31, 1996
The Los Angeles Times profiled raw-food promoter Jeremy Safran on October 31, 1996, noting his plan to open a raw restaurant on Maui that month; the piece captures the 1990s raw-living surge and its October media moment.
Melbourne’s World Vegan Day Moves to October — October (last Sunday), 2003
Melbourne held its first organized World Vegan Day celebration in October 2003, and the event has become an annual October fixture, regularly staged on the last Sunday of the month.
Attenborough’s Climate Call Premieres on World Animal Day — October 4, 2020
David Attenborough’s witness film A Life on Our Planet premiered globally on October 4, 2020, using biodiversity collapse and agriculture’s footprint to press for systemic change, including more plant-forward diets.
Hamilton’s Record Pace, October Victory — October 25, 2020
On October 25, 2020, Lewis Hamilton earned his 92nd career Formula 1 win, a milestone he himself and many observers linked to his vegan lifestyle and to the broader platform he uses for environmental and animal-welfare advocacy.
Campus Catering Math, Research Released in October 2024
A Bryant University analysis publicized in October 2024 argued that a medium-size university serving about 10,000 students could save roughly $650,000 annually by shifting to a plant-based catering model, making October a fiscal moment for campus food policy debates.