Veganuary 2020 campaign sees record numbers

With Veganuary well underway it’s clear to see how much of an impact the vegan market has had, and is still continuing to have, on the food industry. According to the Veganuary Twitter, a record-breaking 370,000 people have signed up to take part in the campaign so far. There’s been a plethora of brands launching new vegan products into the market to coincide with Veganuary.

Ubamarket CEO Will Broome explains that getting ahead of the movement and making in-store offerings accessible for those following vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian diets can only be beneficial; “Movements like Veganuary have proven themselves in recent years in their ability to initiate real change and gain real popularity. You only need to take a short walk in any of Britain’s major cities to see the number of vegan offerings in cafes, restaurants and pubs everywhere, especially in London. Retailers and grocers would be wise to take heed of this rapid growth in popularity - according to Ubamarket’s research, 1 in 3 Brits say that they are eating significantly more vegan and vegetarian meals in their diets.

If they can be ahead of the curve when it comes to their in-store offerings and accessibility for vegan and vegetarian customers, they will likely secure a solid base of loyal customers. Retail tech, such as the app provided by Ubamarket, can help stores to completely personalise and streamline their in-store experiences for customers, making it much easier to identify and appeal to different consumer bases.”

EHL Ingredients also put forward its top trend predictions for 2020, one of which was ‘making meat-free more accessible’, with foods such as jackfruit, tempeh, seitan, and plant-based meat replacements appearing more often both on the shelves and in restaurant menus.

Tasneem Alonzo, joint managing director at EHL Ingredients, commented; “Meat-free food is becoming more universally appealing with consumers experimenting and keen to try new ingredients and flavour combinations. Our herbs, spices, seasonings and blends can help create new plant-based and meat-free products and open up new opportunities for brands and manufacturers. Foods such as vegan paté or ‘faux-gras’, veggie black pudding, meat-free pies, pasties, sausages and plant-based burgers will be in demand during 2020 so it’s key to trial and test products before you launch them to market, to ensure they are hitting all the key notes in terms of flavour, texture, aroma, convenience and overall satisfaction.”