Sales revenue of vegetarian food and drink products in the United Kingdom, 2017-2022

The retail sales of vegetarian products and plant-based alternatives in the United Kingdom amounted to an estimated 1.16 billion British pounds in 2022. Sales peaked in 2020 during the pandemic and collapsed in 2021. The market seems to have returned to pre-pandemic levels and might continue the trend seen before it was majorly disrupted.

Meatless diets in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the share of vegans was estimated to be around 4 percent. This puts the country into the top five European countries with the biggest share of vegans. Pescetarians and Vegetarians add to this number so that the total of UK consumers following a meat free diet is around 15 percent. Younger consumers are more likely than any other age group to attempt to live meat free. About 43 percent of members of Generation Z stated that they wanted to live meat free in 2023. For millennials, the same share was slightly over a quarter of survey respondents. For older generations, it was progressively less.

The European market for meat substitutes

In 2022, the United Kingdom was the second-largest meat substitute market in Europe. Since the start of the pandemic, Germany has taken the top spot as Europe’s leading meat substitute market. The Netherlands lands on rank three in front of Italy. The UK generated 530 million euros in sales. Germany, exceeded this number by over 110 million euros. The overall market for meat alternatives in the European Union came to about two billion U.S. dollars. It is forecast to pass the three billion euro mark in 2028.