The Vegetarian Society campaigns to encourage dietary changes, reduce meat consumption, and assist policymakers in developing a more compassionate food system.

[6] In 2022 McDonald's launched their McPlant burger across the UK which is accredited with the Vegetarian Society Approved vegan trademark.

Key groups involved in the formation of the Vegetarian Society were members of the Bible Christian Church, supporters of the Concordium, and readers of the Truth-Tester journal.

One distinctive feature of the Bible Christians was a belief in a meat-free diet, or ovo-lacto vegetarianism, as a form of temperance.

[11] On 30 September 1847 the meeting which had been planned at the Physiological Conference took place at Northwood Villa Hydropathic Institute in Ramsgate.

Consequently, in September 1849, they launched The Vegetarian Messenger, a journal that distributed almost 5,000 copies monthly at a cost of one penny each.

[17] Following the deaths of Simpson, Brotherton, and their American colleague Alcott, the vegetarian movement experienced a sharp decline.

Debates in 1882 and 1883 on expanding to a national scope faced criticism due to potential hostility and funding issues.

This led to the loss of the Food Reform Society's subscription list interest, office closure, and establishment of an independent auxiliary.

[21] From its founding, the Society was primarily influenced by members of the Bible Christian Church in Salford, who advocated for the inclusion of eggs, dairy products, and honey in their diet based on biblical teachings.

[18] He believed that abstinence from meat, fish and fowl should be the only thing the Society advocates and that it should not be associated with other reform ideas.

[25] In regard to the associate membership, Newman commented:[24] It occurs to me to ask whether certain grades of profession might not be allowed within our Society, which would give to it far greater material support, enable it to circulate its literature, and at the same time retain the instructive spectacle of a select band of stricter feeders...

But if they entered as Associates in the lowest grade... they might be drawn on gradually, and would swell our funds, without which we can do nothing.If anybody said that I should die if I did not take beef tea or mutton, even on medical advice, I would prefer death.

[23] The first President of the LVS was raw food advocate Arnold Hills, and other members included Thomas Allinson and Mahatma Gandhi.

[18] The newly independent society's ambitions were laid out in its journal, The Vegetarian, funded by Arnold Hills.

[19] The movement's growth led to specialist societies for children, athletes, and others, with vegetarian restaurants serving as meeting places.

[19] 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.

Both societies organised holidays and outings for vegetarians, with the MVS's May meetings remaining popular annual events well after World War II.

[29] During WWII, the blockade of the UK lead to food shortages, and the government became intimately involved in the diet of the civilian population.

Walter Fleiss, who owned the well-known Vega restaurant near Leicester Square in London, successfully lobbied for the inclusion of a vegetarian category in the Salon Culinaire Food Competition.

In 1944, Donald Watson, a member of the LVS, suggested creating a separate group for those adhering to a dairy- and egg-free diet.

The centre was eventually absorbed by the Society, leading to extensive research efforts, with results published in major journals, magazines, and newspapers.

[29] In 1995, the Society produced the documentary Devour the Earth, written by Tony Wardle and narrated by Paul McCartney.

These early events, open to members and the public, included fundraising activities such as celebrity auctions and raffles, with prizes donated by vegetarian-friendly companies, to support the Society's educational initiatives.

[35] In 2003, the Society launched a "Fishconception" campaign after a survey revealed that many restaurants, canteens, and hospitals mistakenly believed that vegetarians eat fish.

Funds raised support training for caterers, free courses for community groups and vulnerable individuals, and the promotion of vegetarian and vegan food.

[37] Historian Ina Zweiniger-Bargielowska has noted that "against the background of growing concern about the environment, animal rights, and food safety the society has flourished in recent decades.