UK Supermarket Teams Up With Vegan Butcher to Meet Demand for Plant-Based Meat

The UK’s Waitrose supermarket chain says plant-based foods are in such high demand that it’s increasing its store space for vegetarian and vegan options by 35 percent.

The expansion includes a partnership with The Vegetarian Butcher, a Dutch company that makes meat products out of plants.

“There’s little doubt that plant protein will play an increasingly important part in a healthy balanced diet in the future,” Chloe Graves, vegetarian buyer at Waitrose told European Supermarket Magazine.

“By working with The Vegetarian Butcher we can offer our shoppers a first-to-market high quality replacement protein that is more akin to the texture of meat than anything we have stocked before.”

The supermarket chain will introduce 30 new dishes to its private-label range of vegetarian foods including cauliflower cheese croquettes, beetroot burgers, and a rainbow vegetable stew. It’s also adding 11 vegan products including pulled pork, fresh tofu, and vegan cream cheese.

“This is our largest ever meat-free range,” said Graves.

Vegetarian meals are one of our fastest growing categories with sales up 14% year on year and we know this will only get bigger.”

The assortment from The Vegetarian Butcher is said to include heat and serve meals from lasagna and Thai curry to Indian tikka masala.