The UK's first vegan 'butcher' is set to open in London next month, when plant-based fast food outlet Rudy's opens the doors to a permanent shop in Islington selling fake bacon, chicken, and turkey made from soya and seitan.
Opening to coincide with World Vegan Day on 1 November, Rudy's Vegan Butcher promises to sell homemade, plant-based cuts of pastrami, burger patties, 'cheeze sauce' and chilli-con-carne to take home and cook, as well as faux meatballs, roast turkey, pulled pork, chicken pate, and 'lobstah'.
Ahead of opening the firm has also launched an online store offering delivery nationwide for products which include plant-based sausages, scrambled eggs, black pudding, smoked ham, peperoni, and salami.
To celebrate the launch, which builds on the firm's existing vegan diner in Camden, Rudy's is giving away more than 5,000 slices of free 'baycon' to customers who visit the store on its opening day, it said.
The move comes amid surging consumer demand for plant-based food in recent years, as public awareness over the environmental, climate, and health impacts of meat and dairy increases. A 2018 poll of 2,000 UK adults found more than a quarter identified as 'meat reducers' in their diets, a trend that is widely expected to grow.
This week fast food chain Subway also expanded its range of vegan sandwich options in response to growing customer demand, while last week Hillingdon Hospital in west London became the UK's first to install a vending machine giving NHS staff access to hot vegan meals.
Meanwhile, the global alternative protein market is expected to grow from $1.1bn in 2020 to $17.9bn by 2025 - in part accelerated by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on meat supply chains - with major firms such as Unilever, Tesco, and Nestle all ramping up their investments in plant-based food offerings.
However, not everyone is happy about the growing trend towards alternative, plant-based 'meat'. The EU is set for a crunch vote this week on whether to ban terms such as 'veggie burger' and 'veggie sausage' in Europe, amid claims from the meat industry that the terms should only apply to animal-based products.
Some farmers and meat lobby groups have accused plant-based food producers of "cultural hijacking" for using terms such as 'burger' and 'sausage' to describe vegan and vegetarian products, amid fears the plant-based diet trend is harming sales of meat in Europe. But opponents of the ban refute the meat lobby's claims of consumer confusion over use of the terms, and argue such a move would contradict the EU's aims to encourage consumers towards more sustainable diets and lower emission lifestyles.
https://www.businessgreen.com/news/4022031/uk-vegan-butcher-open-london
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