Stores to meat veg demands

FAMILIES cutting down on meat at mealtimes have helped sales of vegetarian and vegan products hit a record £1.3billion a year.

It is estimated nearly a third of people are trying to eat less meat.

Reasons include wanting to improve their health and reducing their impact on the environment, said a report by Ubamarket.

The payment app firm, which polled 2,000 adults, said the trend was taking shops “by storm”, with supermarket chains racing to meet demand.

It added: “What was once a small segment to cater for is now the critical mass of 2019.

“This is becoming more and more prevalent as shoppers increasingly make these choices a staple part of their diets.”

The firm predicted that s pecialist meat- f r ee products would be worth £ 658million by 2021, compared to £572million spent on them in 2017.

Ubamarket founder Will Broome said more stores are incorporating meat-free products into their general l ayout r at her t han relegating them to a few shelves in the corner.

But a quarter of shoppers said supermarket layouts made shopping for meatfree products difficult.

SUPERFAN Lily Rolfe, 77, has a life-size cutout of Dutch violinist

Andre Rieu in her bedroom, in Brighton,

East Sussex.