Supermarket giant Tesco saw sales of plant-based foods decline last year, which it blamed on the “initial novelty of the biggest food trend this century” dropping off.
Now, the plant-based food revolution is moving into its second phase with Tesco seeing rising volume demand for meat-free ingredients and whole cuts.
Plant-based food buyer Cate May at the grocer said although they have seen a drop in sales, they are seeing more flexitarians wanting to take control over what they eat, whilst continuing to reduce their meat intake.
She said: “Plant-based food has been the biggest culinary trend so far this century and attracted interest from vegans, vegetarians, and meat-eaters alike who were curious as to what the fuss was all about.
“That initial level of interest was inevitably going to drop off slightly but what we are seeing is phase two of that revolution with flexitarians now wanting to take more control over what they eat, whilst continuing to reduce their meat intake. These latest sales figures show they’re doing that by cooking from scratch.
“Customers are starting to understand the versatility of plant-based ingredients and whole cuts and are creating a wide variety of meals such as tofu stir-fries, meat-free curries using chicken alternatives or beans and pulses, and classic steak and chips using plant-based steaks.”
According to Tesco, fish alternatives were up by 100 per cent in the last three months of 2023, compared to the year before.
Tofu and Tempeh – a soy-based meat alternative – were also up by around 20 per cent, plant-based steaks, and chicken breasts up by 20 per cent and meat-free burgers up by 10 per cent.
One of the biggest recent successes at the supermarket has been the launch earlier this year of up-market meat-free steak Juicy Marbles which replicates the taste and texture of beef steaks.
Demand was so strong in the lead-up to Valentine’s Day that Tesco sold 100,000 meat-free steaks – an unprecedented number for that occasion, it said.
Ms May added: “Awareness is also starting to increase around the health benefits of making some simple swaps in their diet, for example, to reduce saturated fat whilst maintaining strong levels of protein by increasing the number of plants and plant-based foods in their diets and then supplementing with more fresh veg.”
The rising popularity of the flexi diet has also had an impact on the plant-based food trend with a recent survey revealing that we are a nation of veg lovers – with almost half (46 per cent) of people eating more vegetables than they did five years ago.
The survey also revealed that 47 per cent have deliberately introduced more vegetables to their plates, citing trying to be healthier (82 per cent), saving money (22 per cent) and reducing their impact on the environment (25 per cent) as the main reasons for upping their intake.
Even the roast dinner has changed with nearly half (48 per cent) saying their roast dinner involves more veg now and 60 per cent saying they serve three or more different types of vegetables with their Sunday roast or equivalent family meal.
In 2024, comparison website Finder said that there were an estimated 2.5 million vegans in the UK (4.7 per cent of the adult population). This is an increase on previous numbers which suggested two to four per cent of UK consumers are vegan.
