2025
9
UK Meat Substitutes Market Report 2025
2025-11-28T16:02:13+00:00
REP21DEFF5B_BD90_4737_986C_8E2548E0ADEC
2195
189141
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Report
en_GB
A damning indictment for the category is crystal clear in that two in five users think that replacing meat with a substitute always takes away from the enjoyment of a…
UK
Meat Alternatives
simple

UK Meat Substitutes Market Report 2025

"2025 saw the market's decline continue. Building confidence in their nutritional proposition and eating experience is critical to unlock emerging opportunities."

Amy Bishop, Analyst UK Food & Drink Reports

Amy Bishop, Analyst UK Food & Drink Reports

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  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Outlook for meat substitutes
    • Opportunities
    • Reassure consumers on nutrition
    • Core users want more choice
    • Combating perceptions that meat substitutes lack enjoyment is crucial
  2. THE MARKET

    • Snapshot – market size and forecast
    • Weak consumer confidence keeps food spend under scrutiny
    • Graph 1: financial wellbeing and confidence indices, 2019-25
    • Strong consumer interest in healthy eating
    • Graph 2: how often people try to eat healthily, 2018-25
    • Sustainability remains pertinent
    • Leading grocers’ commitments to plant-based vary…
    • …with many not updating on progress
    • Market size and forecast
    • Market size and forecast of meat substitutes
    • Graph 3: [no title]
    • Quorn retains lead in meat substitutes
    • Graph 4: leading brands’ sales in the meat substitutes retail market, by value, 2022/23-2024/25
    • Tofoo Co and THIS buck decline
  3. THE CONSUMER

    • Meat eating habits and meat substitutes usage
    • Flexitarianism and meat substitutes are firmly mainstream
    • Two in five people limit or forego meat
    • Younger groups and families are meat substitutes’ core users
    • Graph 5: meat substitutes usage, by age and presence of children, 2025
    • Limiting meat will gain ground longer term
    • Address uncertainty around nutrition
    • Combat uncertainty about meat substitutes’ nutrition
    • Build confidence in meat substitutes’ nutrition
    • Spotlight tangible nutrient contribution
    • The onus is on better-for-products to cut through the noise
    • Core users want more choice in meat substitutes
    • Core users seek more choice
    • NPD remains crucial as core users want more choice
    • Spell out everyday relevance
    • Opportunity in meat substitute snacking
    • Focus on the eating experience
    • Continue to elevate and celebrate the eating experience
    • Meat substitutes fall short on enjoyment for many
    • Drive awareness of flavours and textures present
    • Flavoured variants hold further potential
    • Foodservice offers inspiration on texture
  4. PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING

    • Naturalness and recognisable plant ingredients attract high-profile launches
    • ‘Faux meat’ stalwarts embrace recognisable plant ingredients
    • Tofu attracts growing NPD
    • Tofu sees new entrants, tempeh gets revamped
    • Meat-style products continue to attract launches
    • Private label gains share of launches
    • Leading players join forces for “Meat Free Made Easy!”
    • Eating experience is a key theme in 2025 marketing
  5. APPENDIX

    • Report scope
    • The market
    • Forecast methodology
    • Forecast methodology – fan chart
    • Retail sales and forecast for meat substitutes
    • Retail sales and forecast of breakfast cereals – volumes
    • Graph 6: [no title]
    • Market forecast and prediction intervals – value
    • Market forecast and prediction intervals – volume
    • Leading brands’ value sales – meat substitutes
    • Leading brands’ volume sales – meat substitutes
    • The consumer
    • Consumer research questions
    • Consumer research methodology
    • UK meat eating habits
    • Graph 7: meat eating habits, 2019-2025
    • UK generation groups
    • Other data source methodologies
    • Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
    • Abbreviations

UK Meat Substitutes Industry – Trends and Insights

  • Two in five UK consumers think that replacing meat with a substitute always takes away from the enjoyment of a meal. This puts the ongoing need for the category to improve the eating experience, and to communicate on the progress made on this, in stark relief.
  • The UK meat alternatives market’s recent decline continued in 2025. However, a handful of smaller brands bucked the trend, propelled by product innovation and marketing support.
  • Reassuring shoppers of the nutritional proposition of meat alternatives is crucial to unlock the opportunities that a growing focus on health and sustainability present for the category once household incomes regain momentum.

Key Issues Covered in this Report

  • UK meat substitute market performance, including the continued decline in 2025 and forecast up to 2030
  • The competitive landscape, including 2024/25 star performers
  • Meat eating habits and usage of meat substitute products
  • The need to combat consumer uncertainty about the nutritional proposition of meat substitutes
  • Key trends in meat substitute launch activity and core users’ interest in further variety
  • Opportunities to drive engagement by improving the eating experience
Report AttributesDetails
Published DateNovember 2025
Data Range2019-2030
Measurement MetricsRevenue in £
Country FocusUnited Kingdom (UK)
Consumer Data2,000 internet users aged 16+, August 2025
Number of Pages43
Market SegmentationSausages, Burgers, Centre Plate, Deli Products, Tofu, Ingredients (e.g., Vegetarian Mince), Snacks and Bites
Leading CompaniesQuorn, Linda McCartney’s, The Tofoo Co, Richmond, This, Cauldron, Beyond Meat, Squeaky Bean, Vivera, GOSH!, The Vegetarian Butcher, Moving Mountains, Happiee, Ella Mills, Whitworths

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