We love a salad here at VeggieVision TV…. however when eating out we also want something exciting – that we don’t perhaps have at home! We would love to see more vegan restaurants all over the world – as well as more mouthwatering vegan choices!
Despite the increasing number of Brits now opting for plant-based alternatives, SALAD is still the most common vegan dish available on menus in the UK’s leading restaurant chains*, making up one in every five vegan dishes on offer, according to a new study.
The study, conducted by leading vegan food company, The Fry Family Food Co, found that despite the rising demand for vegan options, a staggering number of the nation’s top casual dining restaurants are still offering an uninspiring selection of meat-free alternatives.
Astonishingly, despite over a quarter of the top 30 restaurant chains in the UK being Italian-themed, a simple salad dish still featured as the most prominent vegan offering, beating plant-based pastas (2nd) and pizzas (3rd) to the top spot.
The number of meat and fish-style replicas on UK restaurant menus is extremely low, despite the vast range of alternatives available, with hot dogs, meat balls and fish-alternatives each making up just 1 per cent of the available options.
Burgers came in joint third place with pizza, comprising 19 per cent of vegan options on menus – of these, two thirds were made from blended vegetables, as opposed to a meat replica.
And despite being Britain’s favourite food, curry comprised less than 7 per cent of vegan options on menus. Shockingly, two of the top 30 leading restaurant chains offered absolutely no vegan main course option at all.
Tammy Fry, International Marketing Director at The Fry Family Food Co. said: “The rising number of vegans and meat-reducers in the UK is showing no signs of diminishing, but our research shows the casual dining sector in the UK may not be taking full advantage of the many meat alternatives on the market.
“A basic salad option can feel like a quick-win for a restaurant chain, but those following a plant-based diet – especially those just starting out – don’t necessarily want completely new meals, just tasty alternatives to the meat-based meals they previously enjoyed.
“In our kitchen, we’re constantly innovating our plant-based dishes. We’ve launched everything from classic roasts and meat-free sausages, to chickpea and roasted butternut balls and crispy prawn-style pieces.
“We’ve also created a huge variety of burger, nugget and other meat-alternatives, as we recognise that people choosing plant-based lifestyles aren’t always doing so because they didn’t previously enjoy meat-based meals.
“We hope some of the UK’s leading restaurant chains will catch up with the trend and continue to develop and expand their vegan offering – providing a range of different options for vegans and the growing number of meat-reducers, and not just boring salads!”
Fry’s products are available in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s, Holland & Barrett and online at Ocado.com.
For more information about Fry’s, please visit www.fryfamilyfood.com/uk/.
*Leading restaurant chains ranked by number of users in Great Britain from Statista.
