UK Tesco slowly removing vegan products

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vag

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It's not just Tesco but many vegans have noticed that all the major supermarkets are discontinuing many vegan products. Even M&S have now removed their plant based aisle and the vegan food items are mixed with the normal ones. Moreover, this makes it difficult to find vegan products.

" Despite this apparent increase in people adopting a vegan diet, other data poses significant questions for the market.

Figures from consumer intelligence company NIQ show that in the year to June, sales of chilled and frozen meat alternatives dropped by around 21% compared with the same period two years earlier.

Heinz disappointed some customers this year by revealing it had discontinued its vegan salad cream to meet "changing culinary trends and tastes". Greggs axed its vegan steak bake in May, Quorn removed its chilled bacon slices from shelves, while other brands such as Heck, Oatly and Nestle have all reduced their vegan product offerings in the past couple of years."


Why are so many companies withdrawing vegan products?

More people appear to be adopting a vegan lifestyle each year - so why are so many big firms are withdrawing meat alternatives? Our Money team takes a look...
news.sky.com
 
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Germany as well. Or at least so it seems. There are also new products available so some products vanish (like you can't find any Backvisch anymore??) and new products pop up.

I kind of understand that some supermarkets throw vegan substitutes out of their shelves: the products are way overpriced compared to the omnivore "originals" so many people have stopped buying them (raising cost of living). I usually buy at reduced prices only and stock up. A lot of stuff freezes well.
 
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Reactions: Tom L., Emma JC, PTree15 and 1 other person
I'm seeing it in the U.S.

But I didn't use the vegan alternative items. The prepared meals were too expensive. But, to be fair, the non vegan meals were just as expensive.

I think, with inflation, people can't afford a lot of prepared items.
 
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Reactions: Emma JC, PTree15 and Mufflon
Last year I saw an increase in vegan processed foods. In natural food stores they at least had a good spot, but others they seemed to be randomly placed. At a Giant Eagle they'd put the fresh meat subs within the meat displays. All the meats had a sign over their spots--but not the plant based foods! They would be under their meat counterparts :bang:. I hate that store...
Anyway, I long stopped even looking. I have had really good things like chik'n nuggets that I never saw again. I don't even think I've seen Boca in a very long time.
No reason a frozen microwave meat of chickpeas and veg should cost more than others :dismay:.

What I wish they'd focus on is vegan components. Things do not need butter, lard, or milk where they aren't a main feature

I'm convinced they put out the worst, pricier vegan offerings just to be able to say they aren't selling 🙄
 
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Reactions: Emma JC and PTree15
I order most of my groceries online, but I was in a supermarket (Aldi?) the other day and noticed that they are mixing the vegan products in with the meat. I found vegan salmon in the fish aisle. I have read that bothers other vegans, but I don't really care about that. I think if you were a parent with one vegan child in the family that it would be easier to get vegan meat in the same aisle as the meat.

Derek Sarno who did Wicked Kitchen at Tesco has moved back to the US so I don't know if that is why some of his products have gone.
 
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Raven said:
I think if you were a parent with one vegan child in the family that it would be easier to get vegan meat in the same aisle as the meat.
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While I hate having to browse through more aisles: this is the way it should be. It kind of "normalizes" the vegan products. Same with dairy.
 
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Reactions: Raven and 1956
Mufflon said:
While I hate having to browse through more aisles: this is the way it should be. It kind of "normalizes" the vegan products. Same with dairy.
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On the one hand you're right that it normalises vegan products and exposes more people to them.

On the other hand there's the ick factor which means I as a possibly oversensitive vegan probably won't discover vegan products that are placed in the middle of lots of meat products. There's a disgusting stench in our local Waitrose around the meat aisles, and my only thought whenever I'm near it is to get away as quickly as I can.

And seriously, if you willingly and purposely go into the stench area to buy meat, then maybe you're too far gone over to the cruelty side anyway to ever consider a vegan meat alternative?

I'm also not sure vegan products need to be placed necessarily right next to their non-vegan counterparts for people to discover them. A big ad poster can work just as well.

I don't have quite the same reaction to dairy products.
 
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Second Summer said:
And seriously, if you willingly and purposely go into the stench area to buy meat, then maybe you're too far gone over to the cruelty side anyway to ever consider a vegan meat alternative?
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I don't know how badly packaged some meat or dairy products seem to be at your local supermarket but I didn't notice any "stench" while walking around the aisles of the local LIDL today, grabbing some mock meat and soy yoghurt.

And no, I don't think my soy yoghurt is somehow contaminated because it's sitting next to some skyr.
 
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Mufflon said:
I don't know how badly packaged some meat or dairy products seem to be at your local supermarket but I didn't notice any "stench" while walking around the aisles of the local LIDL today, grabbing some mock meat and soy yoghurt.

And no, I don't think my soy yoghurt is somehow contaminated because it's sitting next to some skyr.
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It's because Waitrose has a meat and dairy counter so the latter is not packaged. I can also vouch that it's the same thing here at many
hypermarkets and even smaller local shops; they have meat and fish counters. The other day, whilst I was at Carrefours, you could detect the fish and seafood at the checkout.
 
Mufflon said:
While I hate having to browse through more aisles: this is the way it should be. It kind of "normalizes" the vegan products. Same with dairy.
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I wish more of the mock meat type products would advertise as "CRUELTY FREE MEAT ALTERNATIVE". It might help being next to the actual flesh in that case. Make people buying body parts see the alternative.

But they should also have a section IMO.
 
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shyvas said:
It's because Waitrose has a meat and dairy counter so the latter is not packaged.
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Ah yes, that kind of smell is not pleasant... I always thought so even when I was omni.

In the country I'm living in by far not every grocery store has these, e. g. discounters like ALDI or LIDL etc. don't have these kind of open counters.
 
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The Tesco advertising of animal farming is off-putting to say the least for me, as well as inconsistent labelling.

One saving grace is the value 'Tesco Luxury Soft' toilet roll that I have contacted them about to confirm it is plant-mineral based.

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