A slice of the action

All The Rage

A decade ago, the phrase ‘plant-based’ would not have had much impact on the British psyche. ‘Free from’, even less so. But today, food that comes from plants – sans animal ingredients such as milk, meat or eggs – is big business. Figures from Nielsen show that UK plant-based food sales grew by 9% between 2020 and 2022, to an eye-watering £964 million.

The uptake of vegan and vegetarian diets remains steady, with a gradual increase year on year; markedly these dietary choices are more widespread among younger consumers, with approximately 43% of Generation Z not planning to eat meat in 2023 [Statista]. Vegetarians account for roughly 6% of the UK population, with vegans at 4%, and the same figure for pescatarians. And the pizza business is right at the heart of it.

Indicative of this move towards sustainable food production is the situation in Denmark, with its government setting aside well over £1 billion to support the development of plant-based food, with a ‘green transformation’ of the agriculture sector.

It’s a country with a reputation for intensive animal production (bacon and butter are prime examples), but a 2019 election campaign fuelled by aggressive climate change protesters helped spark a sea-change in approach.

But we have our own trail-blazers, with VBites celebrating its 30th birthday this year. The brainchild of ex-Mrs Paul McCartney, Heather Mills, VBites has been pioneering plantbased fare with a specific mission: to deliver the taste and texture of meat, fish and dairy products, but without the harmful dietary, environmental and sustainability drawbacks of pastoral agriculture and fishing. Much like the Danes, Brits are keen to change their approach to food, for myriad reasons.

A Tale Of Progression

Why are our eating habits changing so dramatically? The picture is a complicated one. “If you jump back 30 years, this business was about being vegan,” said VBites managing director, David Wood. “It was about not having animal or dairy