Meat-free: Too many enemies and out of ideas

It’s over a year since promising Meatless Farm was ground to plant-based pulp by questionable management and administrators. And, despite the brand being salvaged by the Vegan Food Group – it whimpers on with all the charisma of a turnip. The wider category too remains in a tailspin, with only The Tofoo Co showing signs of growth. Overall, the plant-based meat-free category lost 4.2% of its volume and £8.4m of its value at the end of 2023. 

So, what does this say about the category? And why does it feel impossible for marketers to unlock the growth beyond the highs of previous years? In most food related marketing meetings, quick-thinking marketers (who’ve probably been on Ritsons’s MBA) will shout “taste” as the most important thing. But if you know your Herzberg, you’ll recognise that “taste” is a hygiene factor in food, a given now that your product is in a chiller. Consumers expect it to taste ok – it might not always be true, but it is presumed. 

The real answer lies in motivations, not hygiene factors. What’s in this stuff and how does it make me healthier, fitter, and cooler? After a year sitting back and watching the decline,  it seems blindingly obvious. Quorn should be talking about how it’s made of natural British grown fungus and egg. This would make it instantly more trustworthy and appealing to shoppers outside the traditional veggie buyer. Or Meatless Farm talking about its sausages being made with natural pea flours and chicory root. What’s in this stuff is a much more alluring argument for consumers wary of the highly processed narrative and general ickiness towards vegan replacements. Or how about forgetting the meat aisle and working on becoming part of the vegetable section in a supermarket – part of a bigger plant story! 

The story goes on, but Herzberg is the theory of the moment for the plant-based category. It needs measured but radical thinking, will any of the brands be brave enough.