Takeaway and food delivery service Just Eat has released data following research which found a dramatic increase in vegetarian and vegan food being ordered in 2017. They have since named veganism to become a top consumer trend for 2018 as more people are maintaining healthier lifestyles.
They have seen a 94 per cent increase in healthier food that has been ordered in 2017 compared to 2016, across their 20 million customers worldwide. The Mirror Ireland reported a 987 per cent increase in demand for vegetarian food in 2017.
Just Eat’s marketing director Edel Kinane said that consumers “are increasingly looking for more diverse, healthy, gluten free and plant based vegan options.” With a third of Just Eat’s listed restaurants offering vegetarian and vegan food, more are set to follow in 2018 due to the increasing demand for plant based food.
As the public become more aware about their health and the food they eat, the number of people following a vegan diet has increased with the reduction of dairy and meat products in many people’s diets. As more people adopt this lifestyle, or reduce their meat and dairy intake businesses are recognising this and making veganism more accessible than ever before.
The influence from social media, particularly Instagram is proving to be a factor in the growing trend alongside the growing awareness of the health implications from eating large amounts of dairy and milk, and the ethics of the industry being exposed in documentaries.