UK supermarket opens meat-free butchers in bid to entice “trepidatious” consumers

24 Jun 2019 --- UK supermarket Sainsbury’s has temporarily converted a London meatshop into a meat-free butchers to mark World Meat Free Week. Meat alternatives including mushroom, jackfruit, and pea protein are used to recreate over a dozen meaty cuts, joints, and strings of sausages, which are just some of the supermarket’s range of over a hundred plant-based products. This opening follows Sainsbury’s sales of plant-based products doubling last year and follows in the footsteps of meat giants on the supplier side tapping into the plant-based space.

Only open for three days from June 21st, the Bethnal Green shop was staffed by an in-store butcher with specialized training in plant-based cooking in order to share recipes and tips with curious customers. Additionally, samples of the products were on offer in an effort to entice the more trepidatious consumer. In a move appealing to the sustainability trend, customers were able to take their purchases home in their own bags and containers.

“While we’re seeing a huge climb in sales of our plant-based foods, we know from conversations with customers that there is a sense of trepidation about cooking with them. Our meat-free butchers has been launched to encourage people to get up close to the products, try what they like and take home some valuable cooking advice and recipe inspiration,” explains James Hamilton, Buyer for Sainsbury’s.The Bethnal Green shop was staffed by an in-store butcher with specialized training in plant-based cooking. 

While the meat-free butchers is primarily aimed at encouraging meat-eaters to try alternatives, consumers who follow entirely meat-free diets are also benefiting. “We are delighted that Sainsbury’s are making it easier for people to access vegan food and see how tasty it is. Interest in vegan food and products has grown enormously in the last few years, with more and more people choosing plant-based options for ethical, environmental and health reasons,” Dominika Piasecka, Media and PR Officer for The Vegan Society, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

The increasing appeal of meat-alternatives
According to Innova Market Insights, meat substitutes accounted for 14 percent of global meat launches in the first nine months of 2018, up from six percent in 2013. There has been considerable activity and innovation from new plant-based meat brands targeting opportunities for good-tasting, nutritious and sustainable options among vegetarians, vegans, meat reducers and flexitarians.

However, many people hoping to reduce their meat consumption are still daunted by the prospect of plant-based proteins, with 56 percent of Britons having never tried what they would consider to be a “meat alternative.” Forty percent say that they are worried they won’t like the taste, 36 percent don’t know how to cook plant-based foods, and 24 percent believe that plant-based food is only meant for vegans.

Nonetheless, with 52 percent of Britons trying to reduce their meat consumption, the market for alternatives is only increasing. Meat industry giants are starting to engage with hybrid products, lab-grown meat, and plant-based alternatives, marking the entrance of meat-alternatives into the mainstream.

Notably, this market of meat-eaters looking to reduce their consumption is key to meat-alternative NPD, with a Future of Food report issued by Sainsbury’s revealing that the proportion of Britons identifying as flexitarian could go from a fifth to a half in five years. “While we love our vegetarian and vegan consumers, our target audience is really meat reducers or flexitarians and those consumers that are looking to reduce the amount of meat they are eating today,” Chuck Muth, Chief Growth Officer at Beyond Meat, told Innova Market Insights at the food and beverage expo SIAL 2018.

Another rising disruptor the meat industry is clean meat, with laboratories gearing up to launch slaughter-free meat in the next few years. Cultured meat innovator, Aleph Farms, recently raised US$12 million in series A investments. With an increasing number of alternatives to traditional meat, vegans and flexitarians alike have more choices than ever before. “We are very optimistic about the future protein landscape, with products such as vegan alternatives as well as clean meat increasingly entering the market,” Piasecka adds.

By Katherine Durrell