The array of vegan options available to consumers has provided ample choice in the meat- and dairy-free aisles in recent years. New plant-based start-ups springing up across the globe to get in on the action have worked alongside larger household name brands to introduce more plant-based products onto shelves.
Supermarket chains such as Aldi and Lidl have made efforts to broaden their plant-based portfolios across Europe within the last year, introducing innovative lines as well as lowering the prices of existing products to match their animal-based counterparts.
While reports have shown a decline in plant-based meat sales since the category’s spike during the pandemic, there appears to be no lack of choice at most mainstream supermarkets, with a healthy range of picks on display to satisfy the plant-powered shopper.
But how are the hospitality and events industries faring? While uptake has increased here too, particularly within the restaurant sector, challenges still lie ahead for businesses aiming to diversify their offerings and provide menus that are both more inclusive and planet-friendly.
Hungry for more
In many cafés and restaurants across the world, vegan alternatives to popular dishes have been created to ensure that no consumer need miss out on their traditional favourites. Additionally, while dairy-free milks have been widely available at most mainstream coffee shops over the last decade, popular chains are now taking this accessibility further, with businesses such as Starbucks and Pret having removed their surcharge for plant-based milks in UK stores.
But to reap the environmental benefits of a wider shift toward plant-based diets, industry figures believe there is much more work to be done in the foodservice industry. 50by25, a campaign led by the UK-based vegan charity Viva!, is calling for restaurants to commit to making their menus 50% plant-based by the end of next year.
The campaign is supported by the Asian-inspired restaurant chain Wagagama, which is one of the initiative’s industry partners and already achieved the 50% vegan milestone back in 2021. The chain consistently explores creative new plant-based dishes in response to consumer demands and trends, such as with the addition of its Lion’s Mane ‘Steak’ Bulgogi dish, introduced in time for Veganuary 2024 last month.
The dish aims to emulate the taste and texture of real steak, satisfying meat cravings while also tapping into several wider trends within the plant-based sector – such as the consumption of functional mushrooms for cognitive wellbeing benefits, and the use of whole food vegetable ingredients as the centrepiece rather than opting for processed meat alternatives amid rising preferences for clean label foods.
In a statement on the 50by25 initiative, Wagamama’s executive chef, Steven Mangleshot, commented: “By crafting plant-based dishes that put taste and satisfaction front and centre, chefs and restaurants can profoundly shift eating habits and attract a new wave of devoted customers. These plant-based menu items aren’t just alternatives; they’re top picks”.
Wagamama Lion’s Mane ‘Steak’ Bulgogi
He added: “This is where true innovation blossoms. It’s where sustainability pairs with ‘surprise and delight,’ and what’s been missing are the culinary leaders who truly understand taste, choice and impact.”
“By aiming for menus with 50% plant-based options by 2025, chefs, restaurants and the entire foodservice industry can unite to pave the way for a future that is as mouthwatering as it is sustainable.”
Making plant-based the main event
In the events industry, there are some challenges for organisers aiming to go further with the quantity of vegan and vegetarian fare on offer – but businesses in the sector are eager to tackle them, with significant moves being made in recent years to drive up the percentage of plant-based options as well as a heavy focus on organic and locally-sourced ingredients.
Speaking to The Plant Base, Cheltenham Festivals’ head of operations, James Kitto, highlighted some of the efforts the organisation is taking to increase plant-based offerings at its events, which include the Cheltenham Jazz Festival in Gloucestershire, UK.
“Recognising the significance and the positive impact that a plant-based diet has on the environment, we have deliberately established targets within our sustainability strategy that will aim for a significant reduction in meat and dairy consumption onsite and a year-on-year increase in plant-based offerings,” he explained.
At the Jazz Festival in 2024, Kitto said this includes considering plant-based offerings only in the event’s backstage catering areas as well as a target for at least half of the event’s traders to offer plant-based menu options.
“The greatest challenge is looking for genuine quality and variety,” Kitto commented. “As a charity, the income we make from our festival catering is vital to us; sales information clearly indicates that the plant-based traders are not as popular with our audiences as meat-based traders. We need to monitor this more closely as we increase the plant-based offerings.”
To see a wider uptake of plant-based options at festivals and events, Kitto believes that we need greater recognition from caterers and audiences that the changing landscape is “a fundamental shift in how we live, not a fad”.
Cheltenham Jazz Festival © Still Moving Media for Cheltenham Festivals
“Like everything to do with sustainability, it is such a complex and multi-layered issue and no decision is quite as straightforward as it seems,” he continued.
“Festivals play a huge part in driving the change that society needs. I think you’ll see the contribution that festivals make to driving sustainable practices forward increase over the coming decade – not just with the provision of food, but across all areas of sustainability. I also think that in ten years we’ll look back and think that we made it much harder than it should have been.”
Some European festival organisations have already seen successful transitions toward a more plant-forward future. UK music festival Shambala, held in Northamptonshire every summer, committed to removing meat and fish from its menus in 2016 and has since taken further steps such as ensuring all hot drinks sold onsite are served with plant milk rather than traditional dairy. And Boom Festival, held in Portugal, reported that 86% of all food options served at its 2022 event were vegetarian or vegan.
The audience demographic at such events will have an impact on the ease and success of implementing more vegan offerings – consumers from the Gen Z demographic have been shown as more likely to purchase plant-based options. UK research from Finder found that more than a quarter of this consumer demographic already follows a meat-free diet.
As Kitto highlighted, being able to ensure high-quality options are served will be vital to festivals and other large events looking to increase their vegan offerings, regardless of who makes up the audience.
Innovative traders who know how to work with plant-based ingredients in a way that delivers their full potential, creating dishes that meet consumers’ high standards of taste and texture, will help to shift the views of consumers who are familiar with a meat-heavy diet and may view plant-based options as lacking in flavour among other aspects – such as consumers from an older age group, who may be less open to trying vegan alternatives than younger demographics.
Events tailored specifically to vegan attendees, such as the Vegan Camp Out festival and Vegfest, both held in the UK, showcase a fully plant-based food and drink offering.
The family-friendly Vegan Camp Out, which features talks from vegan public figures such as educator and content creator Ed Winters (‘Earthling Ed’), comedian Simon Amstell and singer Kate Nash, offers a varied line-up of 60 plant-based food vendors. With offerings ranging from pizza, hot-dogs and burgers as well as Indian and Chinese cuisine, the event provides an example of the variety that can be delivered while keeping the focus solely on plant-based.
Flying ahead
In the first month of 2024, announcements from the airline industry have also pointed toward growing demand for vegan options.
Emirates reported a 40% surge in customer demand for plant-based meals, announcing in January that it would introduce an array of new vegan dishes onboard and in lounges late this year to meet this demand.
The airline currently has more than 300 vegan recipes in rotation across 140 destinations, up from 180 restaurants in 2022. In 2023, it served more than 45,000 plant-based meals onboard, an increase from 280,000 the previous year.
Its diverse range of vegan choices range from chickpea kale stew and tofu tikka masala in the economy class, through to polenta cake with thyme mushroom ragout and sauteed spinach drizzled in root vegetable jus in first class. Indulgent vegan desserts on offer include chocolate cheesecake created using tofu, tropical coconut pineapple cake or chocolate fondant served with whipped cashew cream and salted caramel sauce.
Emirates’ vegan grilled kebab, one of the offerings available to its Business class passengers
The airline also incorporates fresh locally grown kale and lettuce from Bustanica, the “world’s largest” hydroponic vertical farm, a joint venture investment through Emirates Flight Catering.
Elsewhere, British Airways announced that it would be offering a non-dairy milk alternative for customers onboard its long-haul flights as of 2024, now being rolled out across its long-haul networks.
The non-dairy oat drink served onboard will be the Pure Oaty barista-style oat drink from Glebe Farm. It will be offered as part of British Airways’ hot drinks service. The company said it will continue to monitor and listen to customer feedback over the coming months.
A spokesperson for British Airways told The Plant Base: “We are continuing to add plant-based options to our main menu offering on selected routes, and plant-based options as part of our menu across our lounges. We are regularly introducing new menus both on the ground and in the air for our customers, inspired by British originality and featuring locally sourced ingredients.”
“Customers travelling on British Airways’ short-haul network can also pre-order from a range of vegan options through our High Life Cafe, such as hot sandwiches, snacks and sweet treats, offering something for everyone to enjoy on board.”
Captivating the consumer
With plant-based choices on the rise across the many facets of foodservice, it will be important for businesses to consider that the success of such dishes will be dependent on many factors, and a big part of this will be exploring what matters to the organisation’s key consumer demographic.
For the environmentally conscious, considerations such as locally sourced ingredients and wider supply chain sustainability will be crucial factors in choosing food offerings. Dishes crafted with natural, whole food ingredients at their core will attract attention and ensure success with the health-conscious consumer.
Either way, to successfully widen the appeal of plant-based menu options and to see them stick as successful permanent additions, it is clear that businesses must not regard them as an afterthought: instead, effort and care should go into developing vegan dishes that answer exactly what the consumer is looking for in a meal, regardless of whether it contains meat or dairy.
FoodBev Media’s editorial director and editor of FoodBev magazine, Siân Yates, summed this up well during our recent Veganuary Sessions podcast series: “Plant-based must carve out its unique identity that goes beyond replicating traditional meat and dairy products,” she said.
“Fast food and restaurants will play a pivotal role by curating menus that highlight the best of plants. I want to walk into a restaurant and opt for a plant-based dish not just because I’m vegan, but because it outshines the meat or dairy alternatives. Making plants captivating is the first step.”
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