Almost 60% of people tried vegan food over the last year abd 14% have gone completely meat free, according to new research for UK diners' club tastecard.
The news comes after Vegan Day at the beginning of November and the start of this year’s COP26 climate change summit and National Food Strategy’s recommendation about the reduction of meat intake to lessen the harmful environmental impact of our diets.
Meat consumption is changing, with recent figures showcasing a dramatic decrease in popularity over the last few years, suggesting there could be as many as 13 million Brits meat-free by the end of the year, according to The Vegan Society.
The tastecard survey has revealed that Brits have turned to plant-based diets during lockdown with around 40% becoming more adventurous with their cooking and restaurant visits, and around 20% getting inspiration from social media including TikTok which has recently revealed ‘plant-based’ as one of the platform’s top trends.
Mirroring this, tastecard partners are also seeing more customers demanding vegan options in their menus. Amongst the nation’s favourite dishes, Chickpea Curry takes the top spot (26%) for Brits’ favourite vegan dish followed by, what it is already a classic, the Vegan Burger (19%), and buffalo Cauliflower Wings (11%).
However, despite the rising popularity in vegan food, Brits want to compromise with over a third (34%) adopting a flexitarian diet, known for its ethical and environmental benefits.
The stats revealed by tastecard also show that people are becoming more food conscious with one in ten (11%) wanting to proactively incorporate more plant-based food options within their diet.
Matt Turner Founder and CEO of tastecard, said: “ tastecard and our restaurant partners are seeing a real growing interest in plant-based food and increased demand for vegan menu options. We are continually striving to offer our tastecard customers as broad a variety of dietary & taste preferences as possible, including a wide range of plant-based options & menus
