Vegan consumers spend £5.76bn on groceries each year

As meat-free diets become increasingly popular in the UK, with an estimated 7.2 million people going meat-free, new research reveals that vegan consumers generate £5.76bn in grocery spend per year, with the average vegan consumer spending £3,600 per year.

The VoucherCodes.co.uk Food Spend Report reveals that vegans are consistently spending more on groceries, eating out and takeaways than the national average, with a total food spend of £14.02bn a year (£8,760 per person). This means vegan consumers are spending almost a third more than the national average on groceries (£2802 per person), and twice the national average on food each year (£4,488 per person).

Vegetarian consumers also spend more than the national average on groceries each year, with an average spend of £2,928 per head per year. As a result, grocery retailers are making £4.68bn from vegetarian consumers each year.

The report reveals that meat-free alternatives are driving up the cost of groceries for vegan and vegetarian consumers. On average, vegans spend £35 per month buying meat substitute products such as Tofu, Quorn and Seitan, and vegetarians follow shortly behind at £27 per month. In contrast, the average meat-eating shopper spends just £21 on meat.

Vegans and vegetarians also spend more on fruit and vegetables to supplement their meals, forking out £38 and £27 per month respectively, compared to the national average of £17. As a result, vegan and vegetarian grocery shops are considerably higher than that of the average consumer.

Of those who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet, almost a third do so for the perceived health benefits (31 per cent) making it the most popular reason. A quarter choose a plant-based diet due to concern for animal welfare (25 per cent), and a further quarter say it’s because they like to control their diet (25 per cent). Over a fifth of those following a meat-free diet do it for environmental reasons (21 per cent), but only 15 per cent say that cost is a factor in opting for a meat-free diet.

“There are an estimated 7.2 million people in the UK following a meat-free diet and this number is only expected to grow in the coming years as increasing numbers of consumers embrace plant-based diets for health, environmental and ethical reasons," said Angus Drummond, Senior Director, Commercial, at VoucherCodes.co.uk. "Whilst product choice for plant-based consumers has improved dramatically over the past few years, this report shows that there is still a need for retailers to offer more reasonably priced plant-based meat alternatives, particularly in light of the cost of living crisis.”