More Britons bought vegan food this January, says Ocado

More consumers than ever decided to try ‘Veganuary’ this year while more Britons swapped basket staples with non-dairy cheese, non-dairy milk and egg alternatives, states a recent report.

According to the latest data from Ocado.com, sales of general vegan products increased by 34 percent compared to last January. As Brits challenged themselves to change up their diet, many swapped basket staples with non-dairy cheese sales increasing by 24 percent, non-dairy milk by 51 percent and egg alternatives by 58 percent all in comparison to January 2021.

Sales of dairy milk declined by 9 percent in January compared to December with growing numbers of consumers experimenting with innovative alternatives.

Sales of vegan confectionery also saw a spike with non-dairy ice cream increasing by 28 percent and vegan confectionery by 29 percent.

To satisfy growing cravings consumers also turned to more meat alternatives such as Meatless Farm’s plant based chicken breasts, and sales of vegan burgers increased by 13 percent, states the report.

Brighton had the highest number of vegan purchases per order in January, closely followed by Norwich, East London and Manchester, with the North East buying the fewest vegan products.

“Being the UK’s only pure play online grocery retailer means that we have real-time insight into what our customers are looking for,” Laura Harricks, chief customer officer at Ocado Retail, says.

“With Brits looking to eat more sustainably, the growth of the Veganuary trend emphasises appetite to embrace an alternative diet. With thousands of vegan products available on Ocado.com, and a wider range than any other supermarket, we’re always on hand to support the nation’s dietary preferences, in January and beyond!