Chilled vegetarian foods: Market value in the United Kingdom 2007-2018

In 2018, about 99 million British pounds was spent by consumers on chilled vegetarian products in the United Kingdom. Since 2011 the spending on chilled vegetarian foods has been growing and has roughly doubled. However, if we look at the complete market for chilled food the vegetarian category’s size pales in comparison to other categories such as sliced cooked meats or ready meals with the former accounting for over two billion in consumer spending.

Vegetarianism in the UK

In the UK, 79 percent of people were self-identified meat eaters and nine percent followed a flexitarian diet (also called semi-vegetarian in the survey). Those who were either vegetarians or vegetarians that also consume fish made up a combined five percent.
Among people in Europe who planned to eat less meat, negative health effects of meat consumption was the number one reason for them to plan to reduce their meat intake. In Great Britain, the main reason to become a vegetarian or vegan were animal welfare concerns, followed by the impression that their new dietary lifestyle was healthier for them.

Market for vegetarian products in the UK

In 2017, the market for vegetarian products in the UK was worth about 657 million pounds. If plant-based alternatives are also considered, the value of the market jumps to 885 million pounds. In 2018 the combined market was worth one billion pounds.