It is set to be a summer of plant-based burgers and sausages, as 78% of meat-eaters would choose to try a vegan BBQ alternative, new research by Co-op reveals.
The poll finds that 44% of meat-eaters would be tempted to choose a vegan product, but would judge it by how the food looks, followed by how it smells (34%) or how it sounds when being eaten (29%).
In addition, the survey reveals that 37% of UK adults have noticed more vegan options at barbecues recently and even more 16–24-year-olds (55%) have noticed a significant change in the traditionally meat-inspired spread.
When it comes to who is responsible for making sure vegan guests are catered for, people believe it is mainly the host’s (38%) responsibility rather than the attending vegan guests (19%) for having tasty plant-based food on the menu.
Meanwhile, 35% of UK adults admit they would use a separate grill when barbecuing both meat and plant-based food, yet 23% say they would use the same grill but try and keep the meat and plant-based food apart.
The effort to keep food apart may be totally unnecessary for many, with 10% of respondents admitting to cleaning their barbecue just once a year and 25% admitting to only cleaning it once every six months.
Plant-based product developer at Co-op, Saskia Pinnington, said: “We’re seeing people expand their barbecue horizons and move away from the standard hot dog and burger, so it’s important as a convenience retailer that we have the range to be able to cater for everyone.
“What’s even more important is that plant-based food shouldn’t cost more than non-vegan food, which is why we’ve price-matched our GRO range to meat and dairy-based counterparts, saving our customers money on the foods they love.”
Co-op is welcoming a number of plant-based products to its GRO range this summer, including award-winning GRO The Bhaji Burger, GRO Spicy & Smoky Hawt Dawgs, and GRO Shawarma Kebabs.
