'One in five Brits apprehensive towards taste of plant-based food'

Apprehension towards the taste of plant-based foods is a barrier to more than a quarter of the UK population, shows a recent survey.

According to a research from Pilgrim’s Food Masters, owner of leading FMCG brands Richmond and Fridge Raiders, over half (52 per cent) of Brits have sampled a meat-free product while some 26 per cent said they would buy more meat-free products if they could trust that they had good quality taste and texture.

The vegan category is currently at worth around £531 million. In the last two years alone, plant-based shoppers have increased by 6.5 per cent.

Health (37 per cent) and environmental factors (31 per cent) are the biggest driving forces behind this uptick in consumers.

Despite this growth, there are still some notable barriers, with taste and texture preventing 17 per cent and 16 per cent of shoppers, respectively, from buying more plant-based products.

Pilgrim’s research also reveals about 11 per cent of consumers feels that if there were more flavours available, they would purchase more vegan options.

“We know there’s clear consumer appetite for meat-free products driven by sustainability and health needs,” reports quoted Pilgrim’s Food Masters category controller Conor Lowry as saying.

“But we know consumers still have barriers around perceived taste and texture, and as a category we need to continue to raise the bar and deliver against expectations.

Lowry also said that listening to consumers and responding to their needs is crucial “to enable the category to reach its full potential.

“Consumers expect more in 2023 so continued development is key,” he commented.