Sales revenue of vegetarian food and drink products in the United Kingdom 2010-2018

The retail sales of vegetarian food and drink products in the United Kingdom amounted to an estimated 657 million British pounds in 2017. When the category is combined with plant-based alternatives sales for that year, sales increase to 885 million pounds. In 2018, the estimated retail sales of both came to one billion pounds.

British consumers’ views on plant-based alternatives

Among British consumers there was some confusion about whether plant-based eating was healthier and more ethical than eating meat. Surprisingly, this confusion was highest among vegans, followed by meat eaters. The two most prominent views among consumers in Great Britain towards plant-based meat alternatives were that they are too expensive and that they are less natural than meat due to a high degree of processing.

The European market for meat substitutes

The entire market for meat substitutes in Western Europe came to 1.7 billion U.S. dollars in retail sales in 2018. Of those about 235 million were generated with the sale of vegetable or plant-based proteins, while grain based, soy-based and fungi or algae proteins made up the rest of the market. A breakdown of plant-based products reveals that pea-based meatballs and legume/pea-based burgers are among the products that generate the most retail sales.