Signs of veganism’s decline appeared in a recent report by the Good Food Institute Europe, which found that sales of plant-based food in Britain fell by 4.5% to £898 million in the year to January 2025.
Separate data from NIQ show that the share of households buying plant-based meat alternatives at least once a year has waned since 2022, with the organisation highlighting a shift in “flexitarian shoppers back into animal-based proteins”. …
The current state of affairs is a far cry from five years ago, when shoppers could hardly move for vegan ad campaigns.
Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Asda and Aldi all unveiled plant-based ranges while KFC, Krispy Kreme and Magnum made similar attempts to cash in on the vegan hype.
But many are starting to realise the appetite from consumers simply isn’t there. Last year, Wagamama axed a string of vegan favourites from menus, including its ‘Vegatsu’ curry and its ‘vegan K-Dogs’. Andy Hornby, the Chief Executive of the chain’s owner, The Restaurant Group, argued that interest from diners wasn’t high enough to justify continuing the dishes’ inclusion.
Marketing for the chain’s most recent menu additions makes noticeably less of a fuss about its vegan credentials.
“People are realising that the volumes going through fully vegan products are very low,” says Futter.
“For manufacturers, when volumes are that small and you can’t see a long-term future, there comes a point where you decide to do something else.”...<<<Read More>>>...