UK Airports See Soaring Demand For Vegan Food

Airports in the UK have observed holidaymakers increasingly opting for vegan meals, snacks, and dairy alternatives, while many are choosing smoothies and alcohol-free beer instead of a pre-flight pint.

The sales have been analyzed by MAG, the largest airport group in the UK, and the operator of London Stansted, East Midlands, and Manchester airports.

A trip to an airport’s Wetherspoons for a meat-heavy breakfast and a pint of beer, no matter how early the flight may be, is seen as a tradition by many in the UK. But this surge in vegan and alcohol-free sales appears to point to flyers switching to more ethical and health-conscious choices.

Holidaymakers move away from meat

A man sitting in an airport cafe eating vegan food — Adobe Stock Airports are seeing skyrocketing demand for vegan food

The Giraffe restaurant at Manchester Airport has seen an eightfold rise in sales of its vegan breakfast and brunch items. The London Stansted Wetherspoons has also been selling its vegan chili at a 167 percent increase. Costa Coffee has seen a 25 percent rise in demand for non-dairy milks, and MAG has also reported a 10 percent rise for plant milks across all its airports and outlets.

The majority of these sales have seen tea and coffee drinkers asking for oat milk, with soy and coconut being the next most popular respectively.

Another significant change in behaviour from a pint of lager pre-boarding is the 39 percent rise in smoothie and juice sales seen at the Stansted Joe & The Juice. Some are swapping alcohol for a very different type of shot: WH Smith reported a threefold increase in gut health shot sales across each of the airports. Wetherspoons and other airport pubs and bars have seen a sharp upturn in demand for alcohol-free beer and beverages.

And once aboard the flight, airlines are also adapting to meet the demand for vegan choices. British Airways and JetBlue both recently introduced oat milk to their menus and complimentary beverages. LATAM Airlines is teaming up with NotCo to offer in-flight vegan sandwiches for Chilean domestic flights, and the German LSG Group are working with The Vegetarian Butcher to roll out plant-based meals onboard.