Growth in the plant-based category is being driven by a combination of health, lifestyle and evolving consumer demand trends.
More shoppers are actively seeking plant-based products that align with flexitarian and allergen-conscious lifestyles, creating increased demand for snacks made with simple, natural ingredients that do not compromise on taste.
At the same time, consumers are becoming more adventurous with flavour, looking for premium and innovative options that still deliver indulgence, bold seasoning and satisfying texture.
“Within the crisps category, growth is being fuelled by products that offer strong flavour credentials alongside plant-based appeal, such as handcooked crisps like our Fairfields Farm range,” comments Tash Jones, Commercial Director at Fairfields Farm. “Sustainability is another important factor, with shoppers increasingly valuing brands that promote responsible farming, local sourcing and environmentally conscious production methods.”
Convenience and the rise of Big Night In occasions are further supporting category growth, as consumers continue to look for sharing snacks that cater to a range of dietary preferences. As a result, retailers and wholesalers are expanding their ranges to include more vegan and free-from options alongside traditional favourites, helping plant-based options to become a mainstream choice rather than a niche offering.
Key trends include the continued growth of premium and handcooked products, alongside rising demand for plant-based, vegan and allergen-friendly options. “Consumers are increasingly drawn to bold, globally inspired flavours and limited-edition launches, with smoky barbecue-inspired seasonings and richer, more aromatic flavour profiles continuing to grow in popularity. This trend inspired us to create our newest limited edition crisp flavour, Cajun Barbecue, at Fairfields Farm,” adds Jones.
At the same time, shoppers are still prioritising snacks made with simple ingredients, creating demand for products that balance indulgent taste with quality credentials. There is also growing demand for indulgent, treat-led snacks alongside healthier alternatives, as shoppers continue to balance enjoyment with wellbeing-focused choices.
“At Fairfields Farm, our Lightly Sea Salted and Cheese & Onion flavour crisps remain our strongest-performing flavours, continuing to resonate with shoppers looking for familiar tastes,” says Jones. “Alongside these classics, we’ve also seen growing demand for our Roast Rib of Beef flavour, reflecting the wider consumer appetite for richer, more intense flavour profiles. All Fairfields Farm flavours are vegan and gluten free, ensuring strong appeal for a wide range of consumers. As interest in plant-based products continues to grow, shoppers are increasingly looking for bold taste experiences that still align with flexitarian and meat-free lifestyles.”
This June, Fairfields Farm launched a new limited-edition summer 2026 flavour, Cajun Barbecue. The new handcooked ridge-cut crisp delivers a rich, smoky flavour profile with an extra crunchy texture. Available in a 150g sharing format, the launch also reflects continued consumer interest in plant-based and free-from products, with the flavour remaining both vegan and gluten-free, in line with the wider Fairfields Farm range.
The brand continues to perform strongly in the premium handcooked crisp category, driven by the ongoing popularity of the core range and a commitment to innovation. Classic flavours such as Lightly Sea Salted and Cheese & Onion flavour remain consumer favourites, while growing demand for Roast Rib of Beef flavour reflects the increasing appetite for bolder flavour profiles. The recent launch of limited-edition Cajun Barbecue flavour, the brand’s first-ever ridge-cut crisp, further demonstrates a focus on delivering exciting new products that align with evolving consumer tastes.
“Retailers should focus on balancing trusted favourites with innovation,” advises Jones. “Shoppers are increasingly looking for bold flavours, premium quality and products with a strong story behind them, so staying on top of emerging trends while maintaining strong core lines is key to driving sales and keeping shoppers engaged.”
Gemma Williams, Head of Marketing at Biona, comments: “At Windmill Organics we believe that food should be great for you and the planet. We have a number of different brands in our portfolio, including Biona (our largest brand), Profusion, Amisa, and RAW, all of which cater to plant-based diets and are certified organic without any nasty pesticides, stabilisers or chemicals. There is certainly now an increasingly broad group of consumers who wish to eat more plants for the good of their health, along with high in fibre products for their gut, which are both trends that wholesalers and retailers should be aware of and tap into. Meeting these two particular trends is the key to promoting free-from and plant-based options at the moment, as this is where the conversation has shifted to.”
The current growing concern around UPF foods is especially prevalent in the plant-based category, where many consumers are now avoiding meat alternatives and instead looking at canned pulses, such as beans, which are cheaper, nutritious and offer numerous health benefits. Consumers recognise that beans contain a wealth of nutrients including fibre, protein and iron, while having low levels of fat and calories. This surge in demand for plant-based protein as a viable substitute for meat protein is significantly propelling market growth and is emerging as one of the fastest-growing trends in the UK food sector, with a growing number of adults identifying as flexitarian, vegetarian or vegan.
“Indulgence is also now a major trend, and shoppers expect the same pleasure from plant-based or vegan food as they do from any other food, so innovation and flavour-first experiences are essential,” adds Williams. “But that’s not enough. Consumers are increasingly label-savvy and environmentally aware. They’re scanning for added sugars, palm oil, allergens, and looking for products that fit into a sustainable lifestyle. We find that organic, flavour, and packaging sustainability are among the top decision-drivers. The National Diet and Nutrition Survey highlights that UK diets are typically too low in fibre and too high in saturated fat and free sugars, so there’s a real opportunity for plant-based brands to help consumers address those gaps with genuinely nutritious options that still feel indulgent. Consumers also now realise there is so much inspiration available for an interesting and tasty vegan or plant-based diet, whether that be from the vast range of cookbooks available, or the wealth of online foodie influencers who use platforms like Instagram to showcase their exciting plant-based recipes, some of which we work with.”
With plant-based savoury snacks a real area of growth, the ProFusion brand has stayed true to its roots, in offering higher protein but no UPF. In fact, ProFusion was created specifically to address the growing demand for protein-rich plant-based foods, as the key mission at the heart of the brand is to harness the power of nature through functional nutritious food with complete organic plant protein.
Last year a new high-protein ProFusion snack range launched, including two nut mixes alongside two protein cakes, which are all packed with plant-based protein. The two new ProFusion nut crunch mixes come in ‘Roasted & Salted’ and ‘Roasted Tamari’ flavours, and combine soybeans, cashews, and almonds, to deliver a powerful source of plant-based protein, healthy fats, and essential nutrients, with an RRP of £2.99. The Roasted & Salted blend offers a classic savoury crunch, while the Tamari mix features a rich, umami flavour from naturally brewed tamari sauce. Both contain 12g of protein per pack, making them ideal for post-workout refuelling, or for a satisfying energy boost to beat the mid-day slump and hunger pangs. And with a focus on clean ingredients and bold, satisfying flavours, these convenient packs provide a natural energy boost without artificial additives, emulsifiers or seed oils.
Aside from snacking, one of the most popular ProFusion products is Pea and Fava protein chunks, which contain 50g protein content per 100g and acts as a perfect meat substitute in things like wraps or curries. As well as the obvious protein benefit, they are gluten-free, soya-free, high in fibre and simply need rehydrating before cooking. These plant-based chunks are made from pea protein and fava bean protein only, and this is possible with food extrusion. Food extrusion is a game-changing technology that’s revolutionising the way Biona creates meat alternatives, unlocking new ways to harness the power of plants like lentils, fava beans or chickpeas. As this technology continues to evolve, it’s unlocking new possibilities for delicious, sustainable, and protein-rich products that are reshaping the future of food.
Oli Sampson, Managing Director of Central Foods, comments: “Plant-based is now firmly established within mainstream foodservice, creating significant opportunities for wholesalers that can offer reliable, commercially practical products which balance convenience, flavour and broad consumer appeal.”
While the category was once driven primarily by vegan consumers, today’s market is increasingly shaped by flexitarian eating habits, menu diversification and growing consumer interest in lighter, vegetable-led dishes. Lumina Intelligence has highlighted continued growth in plant-forward menu development across UK hospitality, particularly within quick service, pubs and casual dining, while Mintel reports that reducing meat consumption is now considered a mainstream behaviour rather than a niche lifestyle choice.
“For wholesalers, that means plant-based is no longer simply about stocking specialist vegan products,” adds Sampson. “It is about building a broader frozen range that helps operators cater for changing eating habits without adding operational complexity.”
The UK plant-based market continues to represent a major commercial opportunity across both retail and foodservice. Research from Statista estimates the UK plant-based food market will exceed £1.1bn in value in the coming years, while The Vegan Society reports that flexitarian eating continues to drive the majority of category growth.
“Importantly for wholesalers, this is not a trend limited to vegan consumers alone,” says Sampson. “IGD research shows consumers are increasingly seeking meals that balance indulgence, health and sustainability, with more people actively reducing meat consumption during the working week.”
This creates opportunities across a broad range of foodservice sectors including pubs, bars, education, contract catering, leisure and quick service restaurants.
Convenience, accessibility and menu flexibility are all helping to drive growth within plant-based.
Consumers increasingly expect vegetarian and vegan options to appear naturally alongside mainstream menu choices, rather than being treated as specialist additions. At the same time, operators are looking for products that help reduce labour, improve consistency and minimise waste.
Frozen products are particularly well placed to support those needs because they offer portion control, ease of storage and dependable preparation.
Another important driver is the growth of informal eating occasions, including sharing platters, small plates, sides and grab-and-go formats. Lumina Intelligence has highlighted the continued importance of snacking and food-to-go within UK foodservice, while CGA by NIQ has reported sustained demand for shareable dishes and casual dining occasions.
That is one reason products across the Le Duc onion ring range — including Reformed Battered Onion Rings, Reformed Breaded Onion Rings and Natural Beer Battered Onion Rings — continue to perform strongly. The range is pre-fried and quick frozen, helping operators deliver consistency and speed of service during busy trading periods.
Health and sustainability also remain important category drivers, but these are better reflected through the broader plant-based movement and vegetable-led menu development. Mintel reports that many consumers now associate plant-based dishes with balance and variety rather than strict dietary restriction. Products such as the Menuserve Mediterranean Vegetable Tarts 160g fit this demand well, offering a vegetable-led plated option suitable for vegetarian and vegan menus.
“Wholesalers should focus on plant-based products that are commercially practical as well as trend-led,” advises Sampson.
“The strongest-performing ranges are often those built around familiar formats that operators can easily integrate into existing menus, rather than highly specialist products with limited appeal.
“Products that work across multiple sectors, meal occasions and customer groups are particularly important. Convenience, consistency and versatility remain critical purchasing drivers for operators.”
Caroline Hughes, Marketing Director at Gosh! Food, comments: “The plant-based chilled category is rebounding, led by strong growth in natural products. The natural segment delivered consistent growth throughout 2025, with a marked acceleration in recent months, while meat mimics continue to decline. This reflects a seismic shift in the category as consumers move away from ultra processed foods (UPFs) and toward cleaner, more natural alternatives.”
The damaging health impacts of UPFs are now widely documented, with the internet and mainstream media saturated with studies linking excessive consumption to negative health outcomes. Nearly 50% of consumers actively monitor UPFs (Nielsen), and the majority find them off-putting (Mintel), whilst consumer demand for healthier food is no longer emerging but is firmly established and here to stay. 71% of consumers report trying to eat healthily all or most of the time (Food Manufacture), underlining the long-term opportunity within the category, and as a result, the all-natural segment of plant-based is thriving. While many traditional meat-mimic brands are now reformulating and launching ‘natural’ ranges, only a handful of brands in the category remain truly 100% natural, including Gosh!
“In the years ahead, food will play an increasingly central role in supporting consumer health and wellbeing (IPSOS),” adds Hughes. “39% of consumers view ultra-processed foods negatively (NIQ), highlighting the opportunity for clean-label, natural and plant-based products to win. Rather than chasing protein parity with meat, which remains challenging, the plant-based category should carve out its own space by championing fibre and nutritional diversity.”
Fibre is a critical yet under consumed nutrient, with 96% of adults failing to meet recommended intake levels, despite gut health being the most sought-after functional benefit (Vypr). As a result, fibre is firmly front of mind, with a surge in fibre-focused innovation across categories, from breads and cereals to drinks and snacks. Functional foods continue to drive the shift toward healthier eating, as consumers seek products that are high in fibre, protein-rich and supportive of gut health. Emerging trends such as “fibre-maxxing”, enhancing everyday recipes with fibre-dense ingredients like seeds, beans and pulses, reflect this growing focus on gut health. All products at Gosh! are made with 100% natural ingredients, delivering a natural source of protein while also being high in fibre.
Smith Feeney, Co-founder of Love Mushrooms, comments: “Category growth in plant-based products is being driven by rising consumer demand for health, wellness, sustainability, and ethical consumption. More consumers are choosing plant-based options that offer functional benefits, such as supporting immunity, cognition, stress management, and skin health, while aligning with vegan, vegetarian, and cruelty-free lifestyles. Growth is further supported by increased product innovation and improved accessibility, as brands expand their ranges and distribution across mainstream retail and wholesale channels, making plant-based options more affordable and widely available.”
Within this, functional mushrooms are a key growth driver due to their strong association with functional wellness and versatility across formats, from supplements to skincare. As consumers increasingly seek products that extend the benefits of plant-based ingredients beyond traditional food and supplements, functional mushrooms are standing out through their natural alignment with the demand for holistic health solutions, offering benefits linked to cognitive wellbeing, immunity, and stress support. This is contributing to stronger demand for products that deliver functional benefits across multiple areas of wellbeing, while remaining aligned with consumer preferences for natural, plant-based ingredients.
“One of the key trends to watch within the plant-based sector is the continued growth of functional wellness, as consumers increasingly seek products that deliver specific health benefits alongside taste and convenience,” adds Feeney. “This is being further supported by a growing number of consumers adopting vegan, eco-friendly, and more health-conscious lifestyles. Shoppers are becoming more intentional with their purchasing decisions and are looking for plant-based products that support areas such as immunity, focus, energy, gut health, and stress management as part of their everyday routines.”
In response, brands are evolving beyond traditional plant-based positioning and are increasingly fortifying products with functional ingredients such as adaptogens, functional mushrooms, probiotics, botanicals, and added vitamins. These ingredients are being used to deliver more targeted wellness benefits, particularly around immunity, cognitive support, relaxation and sustained energy.
As well as offering Lion’s Mane, Reishi and Cordyceps in capsules and drops, Love Mushrooms also provides a “Plus” range that combines Lion’s Mane with complementary functional ingredients such as Magnesium, Ashwagandha, Multivitamins, and Vitamin D3 & Zinc to create targeted, benefit-led blends. Consumers find value in this convenient all-in-one solution, which caters to wellness needs such as focus, stress management, and immune health, without needing multiple supplements, eliminating the need for multiple supplements and reducing the cost.
Louise Wagstaffe, Senior Culinary Advisor at Premier Foods, comments: “Plant-based is now a well-established part of menu planning, driven by consumer demand, sustainability considerations and the need for more inclusive choices. As more customers look to incorporate plant-based meals into their diets, the category continues to present a valuable opportunity for wholesalers and their operator customers.
“For wholesalers, the biggest opportunity lies in stocking products that help operators make plant-based menu development simple, practical and commercially viable. Customers are looking for solutions that offer versatility, consistency and ease of use, particularly as many kitchens continue to face cost pressures, skills shortages and growing demand for meals that cater to a wider range of dietary needs.
“Plant-based does not have to rely on complex meat alternatives. Often, the strongest solutions are multi-use products that allow operators to build flavour and familiarity into dishes they already know sell well, from soups and sauces to pasta dishes, traybakes and vegetable-led mains.”
Bisto Professional Vegetable Bouillon Powder is a strong example of a product that can support wholesalers in this space. It offers a versatile base for plant-based menus, helping operators build depth of flavour across a wide range of applications. It is also compliant with 2024 salt targets and free from declarable allergens, helping customers cater for a broad range of dietary requirements with confidence.
Homepride Everything Tomato Sauce is another useful product for wholesalers to highlight within a plant-based range. Its versatility makes it a practical store cupboard solution for operators looking to create consistent, flavourful dishes without adding unnecessary complexity to back-of-house operations.
Plant-based ranges should not stop at savoury. Desserts are an important part of the meal occasion, and there is a clear opportunity for wholesalers to support operators with simple, inclusive options that are easy to prepare.
McDougalls No Added Sugar Vegan Jelly gives wholesalers a strong vegan-friendly dessert option to offer customers. Available in strawberry, lime, orange and raspberry flavours, it helps operators create colourful, familiar desserts with minimal preparation.
“Our advice to wholesalers is to focus on solutions-led ranging. Products that are vegan-suitable, versatile, easy to prepare and suitable for multiple menu applications can help customers reduce complexity while still delivering choice and quality,” adds Wagstaffe.
“Clear signposting is also key. Highlighting vegan suitability, allergen credentials, preparation methods and product versatility can help operators quickly identify the right solutions for their menus.
“Ultimately, wholesalers have an important role to play in making plant-based more accessible. By stocking trusted, multi-use products that support flavour, familiarity and practicality, they can help operators build plant-based ranges that are easier to execute and more commercially appealing.”
Lucy Grogut, Marketing Director at Quorn Foods, comments: “The category has faced some challenges over the past few years, but we’re confident about what lies ahead. Market forecasts point to a return to growth over the next five years (Mintel), and there are strong reasons to believe in the category’s long-term potential. Importantly, there remains significant headroom for growth.”
Meat-free shoppers are highly valuable. On average, they spend 86% more than non-meat-free shoppers (NIQ), making the category a crucial driver of total store performance and a clear opportunity for growth for retailers.
“Ultimately, the future of meat-free lies in making it a truly mainstream choice, and that’s not something we can achieve alone. We’re passionate about working closely with retailers in a collaborative and meaningful way to fully unlock the potential of the category,” adds Grogut.
“Our focus is on engaging shoppers across more occasions and entry points, supported by exciting product innovation and consistent investment in impactful campaigns that reach consumers across multiple touchpoints.”
In 2026, Quorn entered the food to go category with our first ever single serve snack range: Quorn Protein Bites. Created to recruit new shoppers and unlock incremental sales in one of the category’s fastest-moving sectors, Quorn Protein Bites had a dual-launch in the food to go and main chilled meat free fixtures of major supermarkets, creating meaningful impact across the store.
“With 89% of shoppers on a ‘food for now’ mission (ShopperVista) and protein still being increasingly prioritised (ShopperVista), we’re helping retailers tap into a clear opportunity to continue building this penetration. Removing compromise, the range delivers great taste alongside strong nutrition credentials, in affordable formats that work for busy, everyday lives,” says Grogut.
Quorn continues to demonstrate that meat free protein can be an easy, delicious and convenient choice that’s better for people and better for the planet. Looking ahead, 2026 will be a pivotal year for both the sector and the brand. The future is about positive protein.
Inflation has driven a 9% increase in the average price of meat (NIQ), with the cost of chilled beef mince coming in 40% higher on average than frozen Quorn Mince on a per kg basis. That highlights how big changes can be made with very simple swaps for both retailers and consumers.
Households are working hard to balance affordability with health and wellness, with both now carrying almost equal weight in purchasing decisions. In fact, when asked about their key diet drivers in 2025, 33% of shoppers cited health and wellness as their top priority, while 20% pointed to cost of living pressures (NIQ).
“Quorn is on a mission to help shoppers manage their shopping budgets more effectively while continuing to enjoy nutritious, high-quality meals with a simple swap of ingredients,” continues Grogut.
“We have continued to make our products accessible to as many shoppers as possible by highlighting value for money, particularly across our frozen ingredients range. Our Big Bag Great Value range has been a key focus here, offering larger frozen packs that help stretch budgets. These remain the most popular SKUs within the frozen meat-free market with Mince 500g the No. 1 in both volume and value (NIQ).
“At the same time, we’ve invested in innovation to keep this range fresh and exciting. Most recently with the removal of artificial ingredients from our core frozen ingredients products. The “high protein” with “no artificial ingredients” range includes our best-sellers, Quorn Mince, Pieces, Strips, Swedish Style Balls and Fillets.”
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