Appetite for vegan alternatives wanes this Veganuary
20th February 2023
Interest in meat-free and non-dairy products has declined, data suggests, with consumers citing the cost of vegan alternatives and difficulty finding food and drink they enjoy as key reasons for dropping out of Veganuary.
Stock photo for illustration only.
Despite record global sign up for Veganuary this year, there was a decline in retail volume sales for meat-free and non-dairy products this January.
AHDB and Kantar analysis shows that over a million fewer households bought meat-free products compared to last January, while 280,000 fewer households bought dairy-free.
In the first three weeks of January 2023, meat-free sales dropped by 12.9% and dairy-free fell by 2.6% compared to last year.
At the start of the month, 7% of shoppers said they were committed to taking part in the annual event, spurred on by in-store promotions and new product offers. However, by mid-month, as many as 70% had returned to their normal diets. Of these, 40% said it was because it was too expensive, and 40% struggled to find vegan food and drink they enjoyed.
The scenario is not new for 2023, AHDB says, with an overall volume decline in the last 12 months for both dairy and meat alternatives.
Consumer insight manager Grace Randall said interest in meat- and dairy-free alternatives has “started to peter off, with Google searches now half that of ‘peak vegan’ in 2019″.
“Taste and affordability remain the primary issues for consumers, as even with record inflation, alternatives are generally more expensive than real products and don’t taste as good,” she continued.
“Meat, fish and poultry is around 10% cheaper than their vegan counterparts, whilst cow’s milk is on average £0.50 per litre less expensive than dairy alternatives and both are unrivalled in their nutritional offering in a healthy balanced diet.”
Those committed to buying alternatives are also feeling the pinch, AHDB commented. Many are turning to own brand labels for their alternatives, as big brand purchases in dairy-free have dropped by 7% and meat-free by 5.9% in the last year.
The increasing financial pressures hitting the UK in 2023 will continue to push consumers away from experimenting with their weekly shop and sticking to firm favourites, AHDB concluded.
