In this instance the category includes both chilled and frozen sectors, and products such as vegetable/meat free sausages, burgers, kievs, fillets, deli slices, pâté, samosas, meals, pies and some potato products. The chilled sector dominates with some 68% of the value of the meat free category with both sectors having good growth, and chilled growing ahead of the total category at 17.5%. The meat free/vegetarian categories have performed well over recent years due in part to food scares, and the move to healthier lifestyles. Within the two sectors, frozen is more reliant on branded products than that of chilled, though both in chilled and frozen, branded products are growing quicker than the market. The chilled growth is driven by ready meals, potato based, snacks/accompaniments and the delicatessen sectors, whose growth rates are above that of the chilled sector. By comparison the frozen sector's growth of 13.4% is due to grills, mince and pieces, and sausages. Within the total category Tesco is the lead retailer followed by Sainsbury, Marks and Spencer, Asda and then Safeway. M&S' performance is due to its strength within the chilled sector, where it lies in second place, behind Tesco. Iceland has a larger share when looking solely at the frozen sector and is the third most important retailer within frozen. By value the number one brand is Marlow Foods' Quorn range of products which works both across the frozen and the chilled sectors. Then come Tesco and Marks and Spencer's (chilled) meat free ranges followed by Sainsbury, Asda and the Linda McCartney range from Heinz. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}

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