FULL OF BEANS: What if veganism isn’t ‘collapsing’?
The recent UK sales numbers show that there has been a 4.3% decrease in the number of units of plant-based alternatives sold and a 1.8% decrease in meat sales year on year. The narrative has often been that people are going from meat alternatives back to meat, but the increasing sales of tofu, tempeh and legumes suggests that many are instead opting for different plant proteins.
ED WINTERS: The prevailing narratives around veganism… doesn’t hold up to scrutiny and prove that veganism has ‘collapsed’. I looked at the closing of vegan restaurants, the sales of plant-based alternatives, and polling about the number of vegans… Assessing the status of veganism simply through food trends and sales is too myopic. This is a criticism… towards people who claim that veganism is over because of the declining sales of Beyond products; in fact, one of the most disingenuous aspects of the discourse around the ‘collapse’ of veganism has been the focus on sales of plant-based alternatives.
There are a variety of factors that impact the sales of alternatives – including cost, quality, availability, etc. – so claiming that fewer burger sales automatically equates to fewer vegans is far too simplistic. That being said, it is also true that people eating more beans doesn’t automatically mean veganism is doing better than ever…
It’s important to note that veganism is, of course, not simply about diet; after all, someone might be eating beans because they want more fibre but at the same time they don’t care about animals, wear fur and go to bullfights. I’ve seen many people carrying baskets in supermarkets that contain beans and even a carton of plant milk, but are still filled with meat, eggs and cheese. That being said, the more tofu, tempeh, beans, chickpeas and lentils that people are eating, the lower the demand for animal products will presumably come… Let’s look at some of the numbers…
The recent UK sales numbers… show that there has been a 4.3% decrease in the number of units of plant-based alternatives sold and a 1.8% decrease in meat sales year on year. The narrative has often been that people are going from meat alternatives back to meat, but the increasing sales of tofu, tempeh and legumes suggests that many are instead opting for different plant proteins.
The involvement of supermarkets in campaigns such as ‘Bang in Some Beans’ is also incredibly important. For example, Lidl has set a target to increase the amount of plant protein it sells. In recent years, the supermarket has introduced a range of cut-price products, including tofu, which has led to an almost 700% increase in sales of all plant-based foods at the supermarket since 2020. SOURCE
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