SHOPPERS SPEND £500M MORE ON MEAT AS VEGAN BOOM FADES
Shoppers spent £500m more on meat this year than last as health-conscious Britons shifted away from ultra-processed vegan food.
Customers forked out more on beef, lamb, pork and poultry this year, NIQ said, amid a drop-off in spending on meat-free alternatives.
Sales of beef alone were up by £418m compared with a year earlier, helping to drive an overall £500m boom in meat sales and making it the second fastest growing grocery item.
This was driven by higher prices, as volumes were down by 700,000kg.
Sales of poultry – which is classed separately, covering chicken and turkey – soared by £219m by value.
NIQ said there was also an “ongoing shifting spend of flexitarian shoppers back into animal-based proteins”.
Data released by Ocado earlier this year found that demand for high-protein food in the UK is surging, with searches for the term “high protein” more than doubling compared to the previous year and searches for “protein rich” up 85pc.
The shift also comes amid a boom in demand for weight loss jabs – which have been described by Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, as a “game changer” for the economy.
Academic studies have suggested that eating more protein may prevent muscle loss when taking the anti-obesity drug semaglutide.
Supermarkets also saw a boom in spending for cheese, eggs and yogurt in 2025, with sales up more than £200m over the year on a value basis. Meanwhile, 4.6 million more kilograms of salmon were sold, NIQ said.
The research group put part of the increase in meat, poultry and fish sales down to price increases. The cost of beef in particular has risen sharply this year, with wholesale prices up by as much as 40pc over the last 12 months.
Growing concerns about ultra-processed foods
The market research company said “meat free” products struggled as shoppers questioned what is actually in them. Vegan companies have pioneered fake meat burgers and sausages, which contain things like emulsifiers, stabilisers, gums and flavouring.
NIQ said: “Concerns about ultra-processed foods contributed to a £23.2m decline for the category, making it one of the year’s biggest losers in absolute value terms.”
Between 2014 and 2020, the number of vegans in the UK quadrupled, leading to a surge in product launches for plant-based alternatives – including a “bleeding” meatless burger, which mimicked the texture of real meat.
However, experts have questioned whether vegan products are healthier than meat and dairy. Ultra-processed vegan items are typically higher in fat, sugar and salt than non-processed products.
Research last year from São Paulo University and Imperial College London, funded by the World Cancer Research Fund, found that ultra-processed vegan food could increase the risk of deaths from heart diseases.
Meanwhile, plant-based milk sales have also seen a slowdown. Earlier this year, experts advising the Government warned that vegan milks were not “nutritionally equivalent” to cow’s milk.
Swedish oat drink maker Oatly in October slashed its sales forecasts, warning “doom and gloom” around climate change meant people were no longer as focused on sustainability.
Fake meat producers have similarly been under pressure. Beyond Meat last month recorded ballooning losses of $110m (£82m) for the third quarter of 2025, compared to $27m a year earlier.
Dwindling demand for plant-based alternatives has prompted supermarkets and restaurants to shift away from a focus on vegan products. Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons have all reportedly slashed their vegan ranges in recent years.
Last year, the owner of Nomas Gastrobar – a vegan restaurant in Macclesfield, Cheshire – added pork sausages, bacon and eggs to his menus to stave off closure.
2025-12-13T07:35:19Z
