Vegan a dirty word, say ‘plant-based’ food firms

Producers call for new food labels to tempt meat eaters into considering vegetarian options

IT HAS become the health trend of 2018, with an array of athletes and celebrities ditching dairy and other animal products for a vegan lifestyle.

But food producers want to replace the word “vegan” with “plant-based” after experts have said the moral finger-wagging associated with veganism is putting people off.

US food producers have suggested the word makes people think the food could be bland – or are simply put off by the connotations, while a group of academics from the London School of Economics (LSE) have found some customers are turned off by vegetarian sections in menus.

Michael Robbins, from the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA), told

The Daily Telegraph: “People liken plant-based to healthy eating and it’s a very positive phrase and term. It’s certainly growing in popularity with a number of food companies using ‘plant-based’ to promote products.”

Such is the demand for plant-based food among shoppers, the PBFA is working to roll out a “plant-based certified” food stamp to put on packaging.

A number of companies have said they fear the word “vegan” has stigma attached – with some shoppers viewing the trend as a cult. Impossible Foods, which produces meat-free burgers designed to replicate the taste of meat, has advised the 3,000 restaurants that serve its burgers not to describe them as vegan on menus.

Pat Brown, the company’s chief executive, said: “For many people, their notion of a vegan is someone who’s wagging a finger at them if they eat any animal products. I’m vegan. But for a lot of people, it’s almost like a cult”.

Central Foods, a British supplier, is already hoping its new range of frozen meals will appeal to a wider audience.

Its new Menuserve range – which includes Cajun-spiced sweet potato roulade and baked cheesecakes – is both vegan and gluten-free but markets itself as plant-based.

“One of the key pieces of advice is to offer plant-based dishes that will appeal to all diners, not just those who are vegetarian or vegan,” Gordon Lauder, the managing director of the company, told The Caterer magazine.

The same trend can be seen in restaurants, according to Bidfood, one of the UK’S largest food wholesalers.

“[They] need to position themselves as a go-to destination for both meat eaters and vegans to remain competitive,” Vicky Tripp, the company’s campaign manager, told the magazine.

Beyond Meat, another meatless burger maker, also avoids the words vegan or vegetarian in hopes of winning over carnivores. It has pushed to have its products sold in the meat sections of supermarkets, rather than what it calls the “penalty box” of the frozen vegetarian foods section.

A recent study by the LSE has confirmed that meat eaters can be deterred by distinctive vegetarian sections.

Researchers found that presenting a vegetarian dish as the “chef’s recommendation” or including a more appealing description of a non-meat meal led to more meat eaters choosing a vegetarian option.

Michele Simon, the PBFA executive director, said “plant-based” has a more positive connotation because it explains what is in food.