Almost half of UK vegans made the change in the last year, according to new data

New information from data and analytics company, GlobalData, has found that almost half of the vegan population in the UK have made the change within the last year.

They reported that 42 per cent of vegans in the UK have only followed the diet for less than 12 months. The amount of people making the change to a vegan diet has been partially led by the availability of high quality, plant-based products in mainstream supermarkets.

The study also found that 51 per cent of survey participants said that they changed their lifestyle for ethical reasons, and 47 per cent of consumers switched to lead a healthier life.

Emily Stella, lead analyst at GlobalData said: “Development in high-quality meat substitutes has propelled acceptance and uptake – the Beyond Meat burger that ‘bleeds’ reached Tesco’s meat shelves last week.

“How grocers manage product placement instore is also important; the founder of Beyond Meat, Ethan Brown, stipulates that their products must be located in the meat aisles, alongside other points in stores, as too many potential shoppers – many of whom may be meat eaters – are otherwise lost.”

According to the study, consumers mostly agreed that retailers accommodate for their dietary needs, with 79 per cent of vegans stating that they regularly find what they need.

However, the cost of meat alternatives has become a matter of discussion, when compared to meat products. Stella added: “Price is also a concern; at Tesco, a pack of two Beyond Burgers is sold at £5.50, which is prohibitively high when the cost of two beef burger patties are almost half that.

“However, as the supply of meat substitutes becomes more plentiful, the price should also drop.”

11 Comments

  1. Research Reveals the Most Vegan City in the UK on January 30, 2019 at 6:30 am

    […] set to be a big year for veganism. Almost half (42%) of the UK’s vegans made the change in the past 12 months, and Veganuary has reported a record number of sign-ups in January […]

  2. […] set to be a big year for veganism. Almost half (42%) of the UK’s vegans made the change in the past 12 months, and Veganuary has reported a record number of sign-ups in January […]

  3. […] set to be a big year for veganism. Almost half (42%) of the UK’s vegans made the change in the past 12 months, and Veganuary has reported a record number of sign-ups in January […]

  4. 2019: Year of the Vegan? | Jericho on February 6, 2019 at 11:54 am

    […] to 2016 (150,000 to 276,000) and again by 2018, reaching 600,000 (1.16% of the adult population). Almost half of all UK vegans made the conversion in 2018, a phenomenal rate of […]

  5. […] generations, it can often seem hard to make an impact on such a huge issue, although more and more people are going vegan and using more Eco-friendly products in their daily lives, given that 71% of global emissions are […]

  6. Artefact | Is plant-based milk better than dairy? on February 26, 2019 at 2:19 pm

    […] welfare in agriculture, followed by a desire to gain a healthier lifestyle. According to the Vegan Trade Journal, 42% of British vegans decided to change their diet last year. The Vegan Society found there were […]

  7. Vegan World | When will the World Become Vegan? on December 24, 2020 at 12:13 pm

    […] PBBN, 2018, Almost Half Of UK Vegans Made The Change In The Last Year, According To New Data, Vegan Trade Journal […]

  8. […] In fact, between 2014 and 2019, the number of vegans in Great Britain quadrupled from 150,000 to 600,000, or 1.16% of the population (The Vegan Society). What’s more, 42% of UK vegans only became vegan in 2018, which goes to show the exponential growth of veganism in recent years (Vegan Trade Journal). […]

  9. […] every one of these switches is for ethical reasons either. A 2018 survey found that almost half of those choosing to forgo meat do so for a healthier […]

  10. […] rapidly. Orders of vegan food are now the UK’s fastest-growing takeaway choice. The number of UK vegans almost doubled to 600,000 in 2018 and 22 million – one in three Brits – have now reduced their meat intake. The social permission […]

  11. […] rapidly. Orders of vegan food are now the UK’s fastest-growing takeaway choice. The number of UK vegans almost doubled to 600,000 in 2018 and 22 million – one in three Brits – have now reduced their meat intake. The social permission […]

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