Asda has revealed that searches for the term ‘vegan’ rocketed to the top of its website this January, coming in way ahead of traditional staples such milk, meat, eggs and fish.
Searches for vegan alternatives on Asda.com were up 417% on last year with more than 63,000 people searching for vegan products at the start of 2020 – up from over 12,000 in 2019.
Earlier this month, Asda launched 48 products as part of its new ‘Plant Based’ range. The retailer highlighted demand for its vegan Katsu curry product had outperformed expectations, selling 92% more than planned in the first two weeks of the month.
Julie Wild, Asda Own Brand Strategy & Governance Manager, said: “For the first four days of January 2020, the search term ‘vegan’ ranked above everyday items such as ‘bread’, ‘milk’, ‘eggs’ and low-fat proteins, such as chicken, on the Asda website.
“Usually shoppers would look for staples and healthier alternatives at the start of a New Year, as they are prompted to try to lose weight, save money and live better.
“This change in behaviour demonstrates a real increase in desire from our customers to follow plant-based or flexitarian diets.”
New research released by Mintel this week also confirmed the surge in demand for meat-free foods. Over the past two years, the number of people in the UK who have eaten meat-free alternative has shot up from 50% in 2017 to 65% in 2019.
Meanwhile, sales of meat-free foods have grown 40% from £582m in 2014 to an estimated £816m in 2019. Sales are expected to be in excess of £1.1bn by 2024.
