Veganuary 2022: How our plant-based predictions played out!

18.01.22

Caroline Bartlett

Research Executive, London

Categories Blog News Plant-based

We’re halfway through Veganuary 2022, and we’ve seen the plant-based landscape grow like never before!

Looking at how much the category has expanded over the past year, we took this opportunity to check out how some of our UK plant-based thinkpiece’s predictions are turning out. Here are the 3 main ones that caught our attention.

 

Playful design codes

Playful design codes has gone on to become the dominant design code in the category and has continued to be adopted by mainstream retailers such as Morrison’s Plant Revolution range and Aldi’s vegan cake range, as well as new product releases like Free From Fellow’s vegan marshmallows and Bio & Me’s vegan, prebiotic granola range.  As this becomes the current zeitgeist, which designs codes might emerge next?

Fish and seafood

This was something we predicted as next on the hitlist, as the industry was being increasingly scrutinised. Since then, the spotlight on seafood has only grown further with documentaries and exposés on seafood fraud and the government’s Animal Welfare Bill, formally recognising crabs, lobsters and octopuses as ‘sentient beings’.

This paired with the constant desire for innovation in the vegan space, has led to more and more investment in this area. Now vegan fish looks set to hit the mainstream, with Starbucks bringing out their first ever plant-based seafood offering: the limited edition Tu’NAH sandwich. The coffee giant has teamed up with The Vegetarian Butcher for this sandwich, which features “tuna-style flakes” with red onion, cucumber, rocket, lemon, horseradish, and vegan mayo.

And new brand Zeastar is one to watch, amassing a growing number of fans with their vegan sashimi, calamari, and even shrimp!

On-the-go

The “on-the-go” space was something we identified as having massive untapped potential, and low and behold, meat-free pioneer Quorn has levelled up, partnering with Simply Lunch to introduce a range of veggie and vegan sandwiches. Other brands look set to follow suit, as Simply Lunch, the UK’s leading sandwich supplier, has recently acknowledged the growing demand for plant-based on-the-go meals.

Babybel’s latest launch is also an on-the-go vegan offering, with the plant-based version of their iconic cheese hitting the shelves just in time for this year’s Veganuary.

Featuring a green wax casing instead of the traditional red, the new release offers a vegan alternative for lunchboxes up and down the country, and points to the intergenerational potential of the plant-based space (which we also speak about in our thinkpiece!).

In a category full of so much possibility and innovation, keeping up with plant-based trends and product launches is always exciting, and we are very much looking forward to seeing how the space continues to evolve!

If you would like to know more about our 10 top tips for brands in the plant-based space, get in touch to find out more!