Lasagne, Spaghetti Bolognese & Beef Burgers Are The Top Foods That Brits Want To Eat Plant-based

What are the attitudes to eating plant-based food? What are the UK's top ten plant-based dishes? Do people like to call things vegan or plant-based? Is it true people think vegan food contains only ingredients green in colour?

One of the largest plant-based meat companies Meatless Farm, conducted a survey trying to find the answers.

According to the new study conducted by Meatless Farm and the wholesaler Bakes, 39% want restaurants to offer more vegan food but somehow they are turned off by the description vegan. Over half (52%) of them claimed that they are more likely to order something meat free if it was labelled as ‘plant-based’ instead of ‘vegan’. 

The survey of 2,000 UK adults investigated attitudes to eating and ordering vegan food in the restaurants and reveals the growing appetite of people to reduce meat consumption and understand more about the environmental impact of what they are eating. 

The results showed that taste is still top priority for most of the consumers. A third of people (32%) chose to eat vegan food when they go out because they want to try something new and different while38% said they would consider ordering more plant-based food if they could easily swap the meat out. Among the most popular dishes they would like to eat meatless there are Lasagne, Spaghetti Bolognese, Burgers, and Roast Dinners.

The study indicates that people want to eat more planet friendly food but the terminology is what’s holding them back. Some of the biggest chains like McDonald’s and Pret chose not to adopt vegan labelling in their new menu launches of plant-based burgers and meatles wraps.

Over a third (35 percent) of the respondents said that vegan options often don’t sound appetising on menus. Every fifth person thinks that menu items labelled as ‘vegan’ does not sound like a treat for them. Sadly, only half of non vegans surveyed (50%) fully understand the meaning of the term ‘vegan’ and one in ten (9 percent) believe it only contains food green in colour! 

Morten Toft Bech, Founder of Meatless Farm, said: “Food culture is changing, and with that we need to rethink social labels. Whether you’re vegan or not, plant-based meat has advanced significantly over the last five years and appeals to a broad audience. Our mission is to help restaurants give consumers the option to make it meatless on every dish, the same way you can request for a meal to be made gluten or dairy free. 

“We’ve always been committed to encouraging more meat eaters to make the switch to plant-based meat, and these findings show that more people may join the veganism movement if wording is changed on menus. The job at hand now is to entice as many people as possible to try a plant-based option and labelling vegan options as plant-based could be the ticket that really encourages meatlessers to meatless more.”

When it comes to the environment, 43 per cent of people want to see more information about the environmental impact of food on menus, and 41 per cent want to know the carbon footprint of what’s on their plate.

Aaron Friend, senior category manager for plant-based at Brakes, the UK’s leading wholesaler, said: “The findings of the research show how far we’ve come and enjoying plant based is now a natural choice for diners based on a multitude of factors.  But you can forget long-held stereotypes, it’s no longer an alternative, it’s fast becoming the norm.  

“Vegan products are definitely taking a bite out of more traditional meals.  In fact, our biggest selling burger is now plant-based, and sales of plant-based burgers have more than doubled over the past year, alongside the range of plant-based products that we sell.”

Top Ten dishes Brits want to see go plant-based:

1. Lasagne 

2. Spaghetti Bolognese 

3. Beef Burger 

4. Roast Dinner 

5. Shepherd’s Pie 

6. Chicken Tikka Masala 

7. Bangers and Mash 

8. Chilli Con Carne 

9. All Day Breakfast

10. Fried Chicken 

Get inspired by these deliciousplant-based recipes:

Spaghetti Bolognese With Vegan Mince

Meat Free Double Decker Burger

Home-made Burgers With Plant-based Meat

Tempeh Bolognese

Shepherd's Pie

Photo source: Unsplash