Vegetarianism and veganism: the fast expansion of a new food philosophy in Brazil

Abstract

The article presents an overview of the history of vegetarianism, especially in the West, in order to contextualize the virtual inexistence of this tradition in Brazil, practically until the beginning of the 21st century. This section of the article is important to demonstrate that it is not a fad or invention of the last few decades, but something that has deep roots in Western thought. Then, as the main objective of the study, the reasons for the remarkable expansion of vegetarianism in Brazil in the last two decades are presented. The methodology is predominantly qualitative analysis, through personal experience and literature review. As a result, the contributing factors to this phenomenon are discussed: A) The expansion of scientific / academic research favorable to vegetarianism; B) Expansion of the internet and higher education; C) Creation of the Brazilian Vegetarian Society (2003) and other activist groups. In conclusion, we point to the probable expansion of vegetarianism in the coming decades, taking into account the factors analyzed and specific advantages of the geography of Brazil.