The growing desire for plant-based diets presents a great opportunity to fresh produce suppliers if they can get their proposition right.
That’s the view of England Marketing’s Carolyn Hudson, who told an audience at this week’s London Produce Show that health is the number-one reason for Brits wanting to change their diets and almost a quarter of consumers now regularly look for vegetarian food choices.
With AHDB figures showing that as many as 68 per cent of UK adults are now following a flexitarian diet, that suggests real possibilities for fresh produce, particularly as 63 per cent say they want to try new foods [IGD].
Hudson pointed out that supermarkets and manufacturers are now backing the plant-based trend with significant investment. Waitrose announced recently that it is doubling its vegetarian and veg range, Tesco has ramped up its plant-based offering and Nestlé is launching its Garden Gourmet meat-free range in the UK.
“There have to be big opportunities for the industry to jump on the back of this trend and maximise fresh produce’s share on the plate,” Hudson said. She advocated that producers be innovative, create new offerings and come up products that are convenient and different.
“Don’t just meet demand, exceed it,” she stressed. “Encourage consumers to exceed their 5 A Day.”
The plant-based opportunity is not restricted to retail either, with England Marketing research also showing 93 per cent of consumers now eat out regularly. That’s leading to more protein choices in foodservice, signalling an end to the days when vegans and vegetarians would be extremely limited in their food choices out of home.
