A new study from Proagrica indicates that the Covid-19 pandemic has fuelled the rise of plant-based diets in the UK.
According to a new study by Proagrica into the nation’s attitude to food, 18% of Brits have eaten more vegetarian and vegan food since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020.
Moreover, around a 1/5 of those say they will likely become fully vegetarian or vegan from now on, as a result of the pandemic.
The study involved a survey of over 1000 UK adults and was commissioned by the global provider of technology solutions for the agriculture and animal health industries.
Findings also concluded that almost a third of those questioned would consider reducing their meat consumption or even going completely vegetarian/vegan should the pandemic continue significantly into this year.
These results indicate that the pandemic has fueled the rise of plant-based diets in the UK, and had a surprisingly positive effect on our eating habits.
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‘Way beyond Veganuary’
Graeme McCracken, managing director at Proagrica explained, “Changing dietary choices suggest the trend towards plant-based foods goes way beyond Veganuary.
“It does seem the pandemic is hastening this behaviour though, this presents fresh opportunities and there’s a real chance for plant-based to make in-roads this year.”
However, not all Brits are embracing the shift towards plant-based diets. McCracken noted that 41% of those surveyed “told us nothing could make them give up meat.”
While a significant factor in the recent decline in meat-eating could be the association between factory farming and deadly diseases, it seems that households are on a mission to save money, and around a fifth were found to be cutting out meat for this reason.
As McCracken put it, “The British may claim to be a nation of carnivores but what could ultimately make us change our diets is the pressure on our weekly shopping budget.”
Are you making more sustainable and budget-friendly food swaps?
Read our article teaching you how to cut down on waste and regrow foods from scraps.
