Is the veganism hype over? How sales of fake meat brands are dwindling across the UK with chains like Pret rolling back meat-free products and dozens of independent plant-based restaurants shutting down
- Vegan restaurants and brands are shutting down across the UK
- READ MORE: Vegans haven’t killed off the butcher! As report reveals Britons are spending more on meat, local shops report an influx of business as customers seek better quality cuts
The rise in vegan diets has no doubt been on of the biggest trends of the last ten years – with most food brands, restaurants and cafes launching plant-based options in their menus.
But it seems the fall of veganism has come as quickly as the rise, with many brands now ditching or declining their plant-based options with sales dwindling.
In December, Pret A Manger closed half of its vegetarian and vegan-only stores, after admitting many customers don’t see themselves as ‘full-time veggies’, while Meatless Farm, one of the country’s leading faux-meat retailers has gone into administration.
The firm was set up in 2016 and sold £11million worth of plant-based mince, burgers and chicken in 2021 – but has struggled as demand for meat-free products slowed.
While popular lunchtime staples such as Costa and Starbucks still have vegan staples on their menus, Costa’s latest summer menu offered no new vegan options, while Starbucks offered the plant-based breakfast wrap, but nothing meat-and-dairy free in their lunch menu.
Many vegans are citing the soaring-cost of alternatives as part of the reason for the decline in demand for ‘faux meat’ products, instead opting for ‘back to basic’ products like beans and pulses to get protein in their diets.
Is the demand for vegan dining disappearing? Many vegan restaurants across the UK are shitting down, including Clean Kitchen Club, run by Made in Chelsea’s Verity Bowditch (pictured)
Customers have also complained of lack of stock for vegan options in chains like Wasabi – while Clean Kitchen Club, a mecca for vegans, shut down all their restaurant this year.
V Rev, one of Manchester’s first and most popular vegan eatery’s closed its doors in December.
Other vegan restaurant in Manchester including JJ’s Vish and Chips and Zad’s as well as Frost Burgers in Liverpool and Donner Summer in Sheffield also shut their doors in 2022 citing costs as the reason.
Kalifornia Kitchen, an ultra-trendy vegan eatery in London also closed its doors while the Mango Tree in Taunton, Somerset, which opened as a plant-based restaurant starting selling meat and vegetarian dishes in a bid to win more customers.
Edinburgh vegan bar and restaurant Harmonium shut after an ‘incredibly difficult period of trading’ in April.
The trend appears to be global, with vegan restaurants as far and wide as Sydney and LA also shutting down due to a combination of rising bills and less demand.
In December, Pret A Manger closed half of its vegetarian and vegan-only stores , after admitting many customers don’t see themselves as ‘full-time veggies’
Meanwhile number of meat alternatives on sale at Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose shrunk by 10 per cent between September and March, research from industry magazine the Grocer showed.
It comes as experts warned the trendy vegan market was now ‘stagnant’ as people search for more healthy alternatives and turn their backs on the animal-free food and drink products which briefly took over supermarket shelves in the UK.
Beyond Meat, the California-based firm behind the burgers in the McPlant at McDonald’s and the Beyond Burger at Wetherspoon pubs, has seen its shares fall 95 per cent since 2019. Last month it reported its fifth consecutive quarter of declining year-over-year revenue.
In December, the BBC reported London’s VegFest was ‘noticeably smaller’ than previous years, with many citing grocery inflation as a main reason for fending off vegan diet.
Meatless Farm, one of the country’s leading faux-meat retailers has gone into administration
DECLINE OF VEGAN FOOD
MEATLESS FARM
Meatless Farm has become the latest victim after the Leeds-based company made its 50-strong workforce redundant last Friday and collapsed into administration.
The firm was set up in 2016 and sold £11million worth of plant-based mince, burgers and chicken in 2021 – but has struggled as demand for meat-free products slowed.
OATLY
Oatly has withdrawn its dairy-free ice cream in Britain.
NESTLE
Nestle then joined in, pulling two of its plant-based brands from shops in the UK due to a lack of demand.
Earlier this month, Nestlé also announced it was pulling its plant-based Garden Gourmet and Wunda brands from retail in the UK and Ireland, following lacklustre sales.
THE VEGETARIAN BUTCHER
Unilever’s The Vegetarian Butcher was another big casualty, losing almost a third of its lines, while meat-free classics Quorn and Linda McCartney’s lines were down by 6.6 and 6.7 per cent respectively.
BEYOND MEAT
Beyond Meat, was one of the brightest starts of the alternative meat sector. But in its most recent quarter it recorded a loss of almost $15m (£12.4m), and a 23% decline in sales compared with the same period in the previous year.
VEGAN KIND
The Vegan Kind, the UK’s biggest online supermarket dedicated to plant-based products, ceased operations in November due to the cost of living crisis.
HECK
Yorkshire-based sausage company Heck cut its vegan range from ten products to two — burgers and sausage. Announcing the news, co-founder Jamie Keeble said that ‘the public wasn’t quite ready. At the end of the day we want to sell products that work on the shelves. These didn’t.’
PRET
First the trend struck Pret, which closed half of its vegetarian and vegan-only stores, after admitting many customers don’t see themselves as ‘full-time veggies’.
INNOCENT
The drinks company has scrapped its dairy-free milk range after joking that just five people had brought the beverage.
TOOFOO Co
The Tofoo Co — which sells a range of scrambled, smoked and crispy tofu — suffered a 42.9 per cent decrease in range volumes.
VEGANUARY
RESTAURANTS
CLEAN KITCHEN CLUB
Two branches of the Clean Kitchen Club in London closed 18 months after opening.
HARMONIUM
In April the Edinburgh vegan bar and restaurant Harmonium shut after an ‘incredibly difficult period of trading.
VURGER
Last month The Vurger Co vegan restaurant group appointed administrators after narrowly avoiding collapse.
DONNER SUMMER
The Sheffield restaurant closed in March.
V REV
One of Manchester’s first and most popular vegan eatery’s closed its doors in December.
JJ VISH AND CHIPS
Another Manchester staple shut down citing costs
VAD’S
Takeaway that ‘paved the way for vegan junk food’ closed in July.
FROST BURGER
Liverpool vegan burger restaurant closed in September.
MANGO TREE
Taunton restaurant started selling meat.
Many vegans are opting for ‘back to basics’ meaning they are cooking with pulses and grains instead of ‘faux meat’.
Today, Jamie Keeble, co-found and sales manager of Heck Food, said that soaring food inflation has left Britons shying away from trendy and expensive vegan products.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme that shoppers are returning to eating meats and other veggie products because the ‘cost of vegan products are quite expensive’.
Mr Keeble argued that shoppers are not willing to risk spending their ‘hard-earned money’ on plant-based products they may not like. He thinks that ‘meat will stay’ for a little while longer, but believes ‘vegan will have its day in a few years time’.
His prediction comes as Britain’s vegan market is in crisis with businesses going bust and products being pulled from shelves amid concerns over ‘ultra-processed’ food and the cost of living crisis.
Many vegans are opting for ‘back to basics’ meaning they are cooking with pulses and grains instead of ‘faux meat’ (pictured)
Costs for both suppliers and retailers have ‘risen dramatically’ since the pandemic broke out in 2020, he explained, adding that Heck had to halt on certain operations over the last 18 months while bosses focused on ‘efficiencies in production’.
Recent data also shows that the trendy vegan market is now ‘stagnant’ as people search for more healthy alternatives and turn their backs on the animal-free food and drink products which briefly took over supermarket shelves in the UK.
Supermarket customers appear to have started cutting back on meat-replacement products as inflation rose, according to research firm NielsenIQ, which earlier this month said sales fell by £37.3million in the year to September 2022.
By the start of this year, analysis by ADHB and Kantar found that a million fewer households bought meat-free products compared to last January, and 280,000 fewer households bought dairy-free.
Last month Heck reduced its vegan-friendly range from ten products to just two – chipolatas and burgers – after a lack of demand revealed customers were not as eager for vegan sausages as had previously been thought.
Earlier this month, Nestlé also announced it was pulling its plant-based Garden Gourmet and Wunda brands from retail in the UK and Ireland, following lacklustre sales
Meatless Farm became the latest victim after the Leeds-based company made its 50-strong workforce redundant in early June and collapsed into administration.
Other brands to have faltered in Britain in recent months Swedish oat milk firm Oatly which has withdrawn its dairy-free ice cream offering in the UK.
Much of the hype around veganism happens in January – when households across the country sign up go vegan for a month.
However, less households bought meat-free products this January compared to last year with only 13.7 per cent of households buying one, according to Agricultural Development Board found.
Research also shows of those who took part, only 30 per cent made it past three weeks with many complaining of vegan options being ‘too expensive’.
Others say have said that veganism has ‘grown too quickly’ and been a victim of its own success.
Liam Nelson, co-founder of the London Italian restaurant Pastaio, told The Times veganism has ‘fallen on its own sword’.
‘The great thing about running a restaurant with a mainstream menu and vegan menu is that everyone can eat whatever they want,’ he says. ‘Remove that option and you’re halving your customers.’
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