Lacklustre veggie offer fails to inspire punters
A survey of just under 6,000 UK consumers by MMR Research Worldwide to coincide with National Vegetarian Week, suggests retailers and caterers are missing a trick when it comes to their veggie offer, especially as many non-vegetarians would buy these products were they more enticing.
Just over a fifth (22%) of the 357 vegetarians within the sample were not satisfied with the choice of vegetarian options available in supermarkets.
But the problem was “much more acute in convenience stores”, with less than half of the vegetarians polled happy with the choice available, said Mat Lintern, md of MMR Research Worldwide.
“There is a huge opportunity for the likes of Tesco Express, Co-op and Spar to do more in terms of widening their vegetarian ranges and making sure they are visible on the shelves.
“Our survey revealed that plenty of non-vegetarians opt for vegetarian meals, so these products should be appealing to all consumers.”
Meanwhile, more than three-quarters of vegetarians were unhappy with the choice of foods available in fast food restaurants.
Pubs and restaurants fared slightly better – with almost half the vegetarians happy with the choice available – but this still represented “a considerable opportunity” for firms to up their game, claimed Lintern.
Dietary supplements
A surprising number of vegetarians within the sample said they needed to supplement their diet with vitamins and minerals to ensure they got the nutrients they needed.
With 50% of the vegetarians polled regularly taking vitamin supplements (compared with 36% of the 5,582 non-vegetarians) and 26% taking mineral supplements (compared with 15% of non-vegetarians), “the majority of UK vegetarians are feeling the need to supplement their diet”, said Lintern.
“Sales of dietary supplements and fortified food could be increased if brands adopted more targeted marketing towards vegetarian consumers who are more likely to be receptive to nutritional benefit messages.”
Lapsed vegetarians – “representing a surprisingly large 10% of our sample” – cited concerns over health and nutrition as a reason for eventually returning to meat, he added.
“So it might even be the case that more consumers would convert to vegetarianism if they were suitably educated about the role of a range of vegetarian food products and/or fortified foods in maintaining a healthy meat-free diet.”
