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
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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
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
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
PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
Naturalness and recognisable plant ingredients attract high-profile launches
Leading players join forces for “Meat Free Made Easy!”
Eating experience is a key theme in 2025 marketing
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 Attributes
Details
Published Date
November 2025
Data Range
2019-2030
Measurement Metrics
Revenue in £
Country Focus
United Kingdom (UK)
Consumer Data
2,000 internet users aged 16+, August 2025
Number of Pages
43
Market Segmentation
Sausages, Burgers, Centre Plate, Deli Products, Tofu, Ingredients (e.g., Vegetarian Mince), Snacks and Bites
Leading Companies
Quorn, 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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