Lidl Germany has reported an increase in vegan sales of 30 per cent
It made the revelation at a protein transition event in Berlin, during which participants from the worlds of politics, business, science, and society were brought together.
The some 110 attendees discussed the topic of protein, and how our protein supply chain may change in the future.
Lidl’s increase in vegan sales occurred following the retailer’s decision to bring the price of plant-based products inline with their traditional counterpart.
In addition, similar to other retailers like Tesco, it discovered that putting putting vegan products in the meat aisles also boosted sales.
The retailer has consciously been expanding its animal-free offering in recent times, in a bid to become more sustainable.
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The announcement was made at a talk about the move towards healthy, sustainable proteins. Photo © Lidl
Lidl – return of the plant-based shopper?
The news from Lidl comes after Tesco published a report titled The return of the plant-based shopper as fans move into scratch cooking.
In the report, the UK retail giant revealed that ‘the plant-based food revolution is moving into its second phase with Tesco seeing rising volume demand for meat-free ingredients and whole cuts’.
As part of the increase in plant-based sales, Tesco saw fish alternatives up by 100 per cent versus last year over the last 3 months, tofu and tempeh up by around 20 per cent, plant-based steaks and chicken breasts up by 20 per cent, and meat-free burgers up by 10 per cent.
In addition, the poll revealed that almost half (46 per cent) of people are eating more vegetables now than they did five years ago.
According to the poll results: ” The survey also revealed that 47 per cent have deliberately introduced more vegetables to their plates, citing trying to be healthier (82 per cent), saving money (22 per cent) and reducing their impact on the environment (25 per cent) as the main reasons for upping their intake.”
Other findings showed that 73 per cent say they now eat more greens, 68 per cent eat more root veg like carrots and sweet potato, and 62 per cent eat more salad veg such as lettuce and peppers.
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According to Tesco's report, plant-based foods may be coming back into vogue. Photo © Mara Louvain via Adobe Stock
‘Biggest culinary trend’
Speaking about the increase in sales of plant-based foods, Tesco Plant-Based Food Buyer Cate May said:“Plant-based food has been the biggest culinary trend so far this century and attracted interest from vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike who were curious as to what the fuss was all about.
“That initial level of interest was inevitably going to drop off slightly but what we are seeing is phase two of that revolution with flexitarians now wanting to take more control over what they eat, whilst continuing to reduce their meat intake. These latest sales figures show they’re doing that by cooking from scratch.
“Customers are starting to understand the versatility of plant-based ingredients and whole cuts, and are creating a wide variety of meals such as tofu stir-fries, meat-free curries using chicken alternatives or beans and pulses, and classic steak and chips using plant-based steaks.
“Awareness is also starting to increase around the health benefits of making some simple swaps in their diet, for example, to reduce saturated fat whilst maintaining strong levels of protein by increasing the amount of plants and plant-based foods in their diets and then supplementing with more fresh veg.”
Keen to try your hand at more scratch cooking? Check out these easy vegan meals you can make in 30 minutes or less
Featured photo © fotofotofoto via Adobe Stock
