​Focus On Plant-based Meat Alternatives: 20 August

By Rob Brown rob_j_a_brown@hotmail.com 

Publishing: 20 August 2022
Advertising deadline: 5 August 2022
Submissions deadline: 29 July 2022

It is a truism that revolutions eat their children, but in plant-based meat that has rather been the point. So it’ll be disappointing that category incumbents are facing sales declines, in some cases quite severe ones. But it’s not that shoppers have lost their appetites for plant-based meat. Challenger brands are continuing to grow, and some of them very quickly. So is the latest plant-based wave set to oust the original vanguard? Why are shoppers switching to these new brands over the established ones? And can the premium brands and wider category continue to grow amid the cost of living crisis?

Diets: Plant-based food was originally designed to appeal to vegans. So how is the recent rise of flexitarian and meat-reducing diets changing the category’s dynamics?

Meaty challengers: Richmond and Birds Eye sales have proven more resilient than conventional plant-based brands. How have these brands, traditionally known for meat and fish, been able to transfer into plant-based so effectively?

Sustainability: Shoppers claim to be more concerned with the environment now the pandemic is over. So how are suppliers tapping into the desire for more sustainable fare?

Growth potential: At the start of 2022 Pilgrim’s Food Masters predicted that the category will hit £1bn in value in the UK within the next four years. Given the declines of the past year, how plausible is this goal?

Food to go: This’s latest launch has seen it go into WH Smith with sandwiches featuring meat alternatives. Could this be the spearhead of a wider trend in food to go?

Innovations: We will profile 4 new products or ranges that have ideally not appeared in The Grocer before. We need launch date, rsp, and a hi-res picture of each