By Rebecca Shields
Your commercial awareness dose.
For many Christmas dinner conjures images of plates piled high with sumptuous sides and at the centre of the table sits a turkey. But for around 5 million Brits their Christmas meal will consist of some form of plant-based alternative. Be it a nut roast or a meat substitute this year will see the continued rise of veganism in the UK. In the UK alone the vegan population is expected to double by year-end, from around 1.1 million people to an estimated 2.2 million. With this staggering growth and a hugely prosperous vegan food industry, let us take a closer look at the plant-based food movement and its impact on the UK economy.
Veganism is the most popular, globally, in the UK. Out of the top 15 ranked vegan-friendly cities, the UK has five of them. The UK also has the highest turnout of new vegan products annually in its shops and the most easily accessible meat alternatives. Along with easy access to veganism through consumerism, the UK has also made serious steps into incorporating plant-based alternatives in its public sector. Following advice from the Committee on Climate Change which stated that a 20 per cent reduction in meat and dairy consumption could help the UK reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero by 2050.
The NHS set a target of lowering their carbon emissions to zero by 2040 and public sector caterers pledged to reduce the amount of meat served by 20 per cent. The Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns have not stopped the plant-based progression. In fact, the Vegan Society conducted a national survey of 1,000 British people and found 15 per cent had reduced their dairy and egg consumption during the first lockdown. 20 per cent of Brits were also found to have reduced their meat consumption. During the lockdown 41 per cent of those people buying vegan alternatives was due to their preferred product not being available. However, 43 per cent of those polled stated animal rights, environmental issues and health reasons were their decision-makers for their purchasing change.
In Australia, a recent survey found over half of Australians have reduced their meat consumption. Another survey found 31 per cent of US respondents identified as flexitarians. This progression is partly due to vegan beliefs but also a result of growing concerns for the environmental impact of the meat and dairy industries. Researchers at the University of Oxford found that removing meat and dairy products was the most efficient way of reducing an individual’s carbon footprint by up to 73 per cent. They found that if the world’s population stopped eating those foods, then the global farmland could reduce by 75 per cent, an area equivalent to the size of the EU, China, US and Australia combined.
Meat and dairy manufacturing is responsible for 60 per cent of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, with only 18 per cent of calories and 37 per cent of protein provided around the world. Despite this, the meat and dairy industries are still going strong. Global meat consumption is expected to rise by 1.4 per cent through to 2023. The largest areas of growth are countries in Africa and the Middle East, due to increases in income levels and easier access to meat. China and the US’ meat consumption is also predicted to rise. Although, the US is estimated to increase by less than 1 per cent yearly up to 2023. However, in the UK things are looking different. Fresh meat sales in the UK are continuing to fall, in 2016 they fell by £328million, whilst plant-based foods rose that year by £123million.
The future of the plant-based food industry looks even stronger. In 2018 the UK plant-based market was worth £443million, it is estimated to grow to £658million by 2021. Currently, 1 in 4 products launched in the UK carry a vegan label and 16 per cent of all ready meals in the UK are plant-based. With Barclays Plc predicting the meat-alternative industry to grow by £104billion in the next decade (equal to 10 per cent of the global meat market) it would be reasonable to assume the traditional Christmas dinner will look different for future generations.
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