Veganism – From Fringe to Mainstream

Published on 1st October, 2018

Veganism – From Fringe to Mainstream

The last few years Veganism has grown from a fringe lifestyle to a celebrity fad, and now to an international mainstream lifestyle. Currently, it is estimated that there are around 542,000 dedicated vegans here in the UK (Telegraph). More astonishingly, 11% of British people (that’s around 6 million) have said they have tried or incorporated aspects of veganism into their lifestyle (Mintel). This new diet is called “flexitarianism” in which people consciously consume more plant-based products and ethically sourced meat to help the environment.

In 2016 there was an 185% jump in new vegan products launched – which illustrates the scale and growth potential within this market (Guardian). However, high-street retailers and F&B concepts have been slow to cater to the demand, apart from a small few, such as Wagamama, Pizza Express, Leon and even Pizza Hut. It is the small businesses that are stepping up to the plate with new store concepts like the immensely popular Temple of Seitan and Make No Bones. Further, entrepreneurs like David Yeung and Leonardo DiCaprio have also been fuelling vegan food innovation and development in the retail and F&B sector by creating ground-breaking products like “Omnipork” and the “Beyond Burger” (Green Common).

So, what does the future of Veganism in the F&B industry look like? Well, Mintel has forecasted that by 2020, UK vegan sales will have risen to £673 million, a rise by 48% since 2015 (The Grocer). Therefore, Veganism in the UK and worldwide shows no signs of slowing down. The Vegan market has a huge international demand and is currently far from being saturated – it therefore has a bright and lucrative future for F&B concepts who are smart enough to go green and go vegan!

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References:

Veganism – From Fringe to Mainstream

Veganism – From Fringe to Mainstream

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