Veering towards
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Greater demand for free-from and vegan dishes is becoming more widespread, with ‘lockdown’ having provided an opportunity for many to focus on their eating habits. BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE A significant number of Brits are thought to have reduced the amount of animal products they are consuming since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, if the latest research commissioned by the Vegan Society is anything to go by. Their new survey that focused on changing consumer habits over the last 12 months found that one in five (20%) people have reduced the amount of meat they are eating while 12% say they’ve minimised their eggs and dairy
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intake. 7% of respondents revealed they have cut down on all three, meaning that one in four (25%) have actively cut back on some form of animal products since the first lockdown (“Change in behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic”, conducted through Attest in April 2021, 1,000 respondents, nationally representative). The survey also found that more than a third (34%) are spending more time with their companion animals, and 32% are also thinking more about their personal impact on the planet. In a second survey aimed at those who had cut back on animal products 35% said they were mainly motivated by health concerns, with that figure rising to 39% for those aged 55+, while 30% said the environment was their primary
motivation. One in four (21%) said it was down to animal rights issues. Combined, this means 86% of people cutting back on animal products during lockdown, are doing so for the same three primary motivations people give in their decision to go vegan – health, environment, and animals. Other motivations included animal products being too expensive (8%) or not being available in shops (5%). So what food products are people buying instead? 54% revealed they’d bought meat alternatives for the first time during lockdown with 78% saying they will continue to buy them again in future. For those who had specifically said they had reduced their meat intake over lockdown, the majority (80%) stated that they’ll continue to do so. June 2021
