Around 16% of supermarket ready meals are now plant-based, up from 3% just two years ago
Research from Eating Better, an alliance of 60 civil society groups, surveyed 2,404 ready meal products across all of the main UK supermarkets.
The results reveal a huge rise in the number of meat-free and dairy-free meals on offer. In 2018 just three per cent of supermarket meals were plant-based, in 2020 the figure is 16 per cent. Almost a quarter of the meals on offer were vegan or vegetarian.
Supermarkets have scrambled to launch new products that will appeal to the growing number of vegans and vegetarians across the UK (Photo: Tolga AKMEN/AFP)
The shift has been fuelled by the public's growing interest in meat-free diets. The number of vegans in the UK has quadrupled since 2004, while many more people are adopting a 'flexitarian' diet for climate or health reasons.
Scientists agree Britons will need to cut back on meat and dairy to halt runaway climate change. Switching to a vegan diet can cut the carbon footprint of an individual’s food consumption by 73 per cent, researchers at the University of Oxford suggest.
But more than four in five ready meals still contain meat, fish or cheese, pointed out Simon Billing, Eating Better’s executive director, and often these meals are cheaper than vegan or vegetarian alternatives.
He called for vegan and vegetarian meals to make up at least 50 per cent of a supermarket’s ready meal range. “While there are now some exciting options from retailers, you’re still going to have to hunt around to find plant-based options,” he said. “Supermarkets should cater for consumer demand for more plant-based options at a price point that is more affordable than the meat range.”
https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/food-and-drink/supermarkets-plant-based-ready-meals-vegan-eating-lockdown-640436
Scientists agree Britons will need to cut back on meat and dairy to halt runaway climate change. Switching to a vegan diet can cut the carbon footprint of an individual’s food consumption by 73 per cent, researchers at the University of Oxford suggest.
Supermarket stocks
Ocado had the highest-proportion of plant-based products, with a full 40 per cent of its ready meals meat-free. Morrisons, Tesco and ASDA and Waitrose followed, with 25 per cent of their ready meals vegetarian or vegan.But more than four in five ready meals still contain meat, fish or cheese, pointed out Simon Billing, Eating Better’s executive director, and often these meals are cheaper than vegan or vegetarian alternatives.
He called for vegan and vegetarian meals to make up at least 50 per cent of a supermarket’s ready meal range. “While there are now some exciting options from retailers, you’re still going to have to hunt around to find plant-based options,” he said. “Supermarkets should cater for consumer demand for more plant-based options at a price point that is more affordable than the meat range.”
https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/food-and-drink/supermarkets-plant-based-ready-meals-vegan-eating-lockdown-640436
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