Several alternative protein brands said that they were still committed to plant-based categories in the UK despite the difficult market conditions.
Discussing its first-half results, Swiss food group Orior — owner of the plant-based Happy Vegi Butcher brand — said that while sales in Switzerland had remained stable, those in the UK were “inadequate, with only minimal signs of recovery”. Despite this, the company insisted it was “fully convinced of the future viability and growth potential” of the plant-based category, seeing the current situation as a “temporary bear market”. Orior claimed that the increased adoption of flexitarian lifestyles would ensure that the market for plant-based products will continue to grow.
The Dutch dairy giant FrieslandCampina has echoed this sentiment. It is launching a brand of alternative chicken products in the UK. They are not vegan because they use dairy but the product is aimed at a flexitarian audience. “[The category is] having a few challenges but there are still millions of people buying into meat-free and it’s still up versus say five years ago. The market has grown consistently in double-digits,” Alison Lees, the UK marketing chief for the new brand, told Just Food.
“Consumer appetite…
