The Rise of Conscious Consumerism

As brands and retailers clamber to capitalise on the plant-based trend, focus should turn to the ethics driving it, reports Emma Scott.

What we eat is no longer just a matter of what tastes good, or even of what is better for us. It increasingly involves an ethical decision-making process. As a growing number of shoppers take a brand’s moral compass into consideration before making a purchase, ethics could become as important a factor as price.

IGD identified five shopper mega trends for 2025, one of which was ‘socially conscious’...

In its Shoppers of the Future report, research and training charity IGD identified five shopper mega trends for 2025, one of which was ‘socially conscious’. It found 65% of under-35s claim concern for the environment will be more important to them in the next five to 10 years.

IGD also identified an emerging group of shoppers who have a different outlook and attitude, are influenced by their digital lifestyles and are more vocal with their opinions.

Set to replace the baby boomers as having the most purchasing power and biggest influence on the food chain, understanding the needs of these ‘influencer shoppers’ could be key to the future of frozen.

At the moment frozen meat brands in particular are concerned with one of the biggest trends making the headlines: veganism. As Andrea Deutschmanek, country marketing manager UK & ROI, Lamb Weston, points out: “Flexitarianism and veganism are still on the rise. 'Recordbreaking' sign-ups were predicted for Veganuary in 2020 and it’s been suggested approximately 2.9 million people will follow a vegan diet by the end of 2020.”

Veganism continues to grow in popularity and is one of the biggest trends we’ve seen in recent years...

In the face of these statistics it is of course vital the frozen sector responds strongly to consumer demand for more plant-based products, as Gary Mullineux, managing director at Caterforce, observes: “Veganism continues to grow in popularity and is one of the biggest trends we’ve seen in recent years, so it’s important we recognise this. Insight group MCA reported the total number of main vegan dishes featuring on menus has increased from 54.8% to 178% and vegetable protein in main course dishes has risen dramatically to 44% year on year.