Vegetarianism is becoming much more mainstream”, proclaimed Pret’s CEO Clive Schlee recently, speaking about the successof the chain’s recent pop-up vegetarian store and putting into words an increasingly evident new consumer trend.
Perhaps initially contrived as a PR stunt, Pret’s revamped Soho store has exceeded its sales expectations, and though the chain said it was happy to trial it as a loss leader, its success has led Schlee to consider opening it for longer than the proposed four weeks.
Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s recently launched its own eye-catching veggie stunt – the rather macabrely-named Veg Butcher, AKA food writer Amber Locke, who was in situ at one of the supermarket’s south London stores to demonstrate different veg preparation techniques.
Shoppers could take purchased loose veg to the counter for a preparation of their choice, ranging from ribbon cut, spiralised, mandolin sliced, wave-cut and julienne. The fact that a top four retailer has hosted such a workshop is a sure sign that consumers are genuinely interested in exploring vegetarian cooking – it’s hard to imagine such a thing happening, five, even three, years ago.
And as food writer Jay Rayner wrote in a recent column, gone are the days when veggie cooking revolves around the uninspiring Quorn or other meat-alternatives. Nowadays, vegetables are the star of the show.
Rather than a passing fad, the new popularity for veg seems to be a much more long-term trend, combining consumer awareness of healthy eating, environmental concerns over the meat industry, and better recipe inspiration – all of which is great news for anyone in the produce industry.
This momentum is the perfect chance for the British veg industry to jump on board – and some are already doing so. The growing popularity for boodles, courgetti and cauliflower rice has led many fresh produce businesses to invest in NPD programmes and spiralising facilities – but there is surely more to be done.
Surely the time is right for an on-trend vegetable marketing campaign, with a range of British-grown vegetables at its centre, promoted by high-profile ambassadors, and marketed across social media to reach a range of young consumers.
I recently wrote about the US produce marketing campaign FNV, which uses celebrities to promote produce consumption to millenials via popular culture. The Dutch have something similar – using sophisticated concept techniques from fast food or consumer goods marketing. There’s nothing to stop the same thing happening here.
In the UK, a self-propelled love of vegetarianism has arrived unprompted – hopefully it’s here to stay.
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