Britons are starting to turn away from veganism

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 02. 21. 11:19

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In the UK, more and more people are abandoning the vegan lifestyle, as evidenced by the closure of vegan restaurants and the gradual disappearance of plant-based products from supermarket shelves. Even one of the most famous British athletes, Lewis Hamilton, is achieving success on a vegan diet, while his compatriots are increasingly following this path.

Generation Z is also starting to return to meat consumption, as health awareness has become more important to many than ethical eating. According to a survey by the British non-profit organization Eating Better, the increase in meat consumption among 18-24 year olds has exceeded the proportion of those striving for a vegetarian or vegan direction. Even Veganuary, the Vegan January movement, was unable to really kick-start the dietary change this year.

According to another survey, sales of chilled and frozen plant-based meat substitutes in the UK decreased by 21% in 2023. Many people ask: if someone doesn’t want to eat meat, why would they consume products that taste and resemble meat?

The decline of the vegan trend is also felt in the market

Hamish Renton, CEO of food company HRA Global, says veganism was a fad, but now the market is correcting. Beyond Meat’s share price has fallen 98% since 2019, indicating that investors have also turned away from vegan alternatives.

Similar trends can be observed in the dairy industry: consumers are returning to animal-based milk, which is a serious blow to companies producing vegan ice cream and milk alternatives, such as Oatly or Nestlé’s plant-based drinks division.