Co-op to halve prices of plant-based range to make carbon-friendly vegan food less “unfair”
It’s long been a criticism of vegan diets that our ‘fake meat’ products are too expensive when compared to the original cruelty-ridden versions. But no longer it seems, at least at Co-op with the announcement that it will slash prices to create parity between items like its plant-based burgers and sausages and the versions non-vegans buy.
We know from numerous studies and surveys that people thinking about reducing their consumption of animal-based foods have only a handful of criteria when it comes to choosing plant-based alternatives - a desire for the same or at least very similar taste, texture and aroma; and of course price. Huge advances in food technology by start-ups in the alternative protein space, such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, have proven that plant-based options are almost indistinguishable in most cases, especially when it comes to the visceral experiences of eating processed ‘meat’ products like burgers and sausages.
However, the big barrier that still remains is cost with plant-based alternatives in the fresh and frozen aisles of supermarkets still seen very much as ‘premium’ products with equally premium price tags - on average 14 per cent higher than the meat alternatives according to one survey. While sales of plant-based foods exceeded £1 billion last year, with 13 million people opting for meat-free substitutes and alternative milks, plant-based alternatives still fall within an inaccessible niche to the average cost-conscious consumer. A family on a lower income, even understanding the many health and environmental problems associated with animal-based foods, will find it hard to choose sausages that in some cases can cost twice as much.
But not any longer according to news out today in the Guardian - Co-op has announced it is to slash the prices of its ‘Gro’ range following an undisclosed seven-figure investment. Vegan sausages will go from £3 to £1.45; plant-based burgers from £3 to £1.45, and meat-free mince from £3 down to £1.75, halving the cost to consumers looking to make a positive change and saving a family “more than a hundred pounds a year” claims the Co-op.
“It’s an industry-wide standard that plant-based alternatives are usually priced higher than their meat and dairy counterparts,” Jo Whitfield, Co-op Food chief executive, told the Guardian. “This disparity is unfair to those following vegetarian, vegan and flexitarian diets.”
According to Whitfield, the reduction in the price of Co-op’s Gro range is also part of its larger plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2040, sending out the message once again that not only are such products vegan-friendly but planet-friendly too.
Many if not all the major UK supermarkets have invested heavily in stocking plant-based products, capitalising on the surge in interest in veganism and a growing awareness of the disproportionate impact of animal agriculture on public health, the risk of future zoonotic pandemics and as a key driver of the climate crisis. Ranges such as Wicked from Tesco, Co-op’s Gro and Iceland’s The No Meat Company have all led to UK consumers spending £549 million on alternative burgers and sausages in 2020, according to a report by market research firm Mintel which also predicted a 50 per cent increase in sales over the next five years. However, the survey also revealed that the alt-meat market was “marred by an overpriced and processed image”.
With the revenue potential now proven and public interest in reducing consumption of meat showing no signs of slowing, now is the time for retailers to follow Co-op’s example and bring down prices. And whenever one supermarket drops its prices to increase competitiveness, others inevitably follow.
Andrew Gough is Media and Investigations Manager for Surge.
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