Most Plant-Based Eaters Want Vegan Food Kept Away From Meat, Poll Finds

Most plant-based eaters would prefer vegan foods to be kept away from meat and animal products, according to a recent social media poll carried out by Plant Based News (PBN).

PBN asked followers on social media if they preferred vegan foods at the supermarket to have a dedicated aisle or to be stocked alongside meat and other animal products.

On Meta’s Threads, 72 percent of the 334 voters preferred a separate plant-based section. This sentiment was echoed on X, where 84.5 percent of the 937 voters said the same. Meanwhile, 76 percent of Instagram voters said they also preferred a dedicated aisle.

In the UK and some other countries, many plant-based options are still stocked in separate “free-from” sections alongside gluten-free, lactose-free, and other allergen-friendly foods. But despite how plant-based eaters feel about the mingling of meat with the meat-free, supermarkets are increasingly putting alternative proteins alongside animal products.

In Tesco, for example, plant-based proteins are now placed in a cabinet on the refrigerated meat aisle. Proponents of this move suggest that it helps normalize plant-based meat and makes meat-eaters and flexitarians more likely to sample them while shopping, thereby benefiting the environment and farmed animals by reducing meat consumption overall.

Where does plant-based food have the biggest impact?

A person browsing a supermarket with their trolley — Adobe Stock Some studies have shown that shoppers are more likely to choose plant-based alternatives when they’re in the meat aisle

Derek Sarno, renowned plant-based chef and founder of Tesco’s Wicked Kitchen, previously told PETA that he was in favor of placing vegan foods where everyone could access them.

“As a vegan myself, I am a firm believer that placing options in front of where meat-eaters shop will open the door,” explained Sarno. “Most meat-eaters wouldn’t go to a plant-based aisle, therefore, we’ll bring it to them.” A recent study by Lidl found that vegan alternative sales grew by seven percent after the supermarket placed them next to meat.

The industry as a whole has increasingly focused on attracting and retaining meat-eating and flexitarian consumers over vegan ones. Vegans make up just one percent of the US population and nearly five percent of the UK population. Meanwhile, 70 percent of meat-eating Americans also eat plant-based foods, and 36-42 percent of Britons are limiting meat consumption or cutting back to some extent.

Impossible Foods – which has always openly targeted meat eaters – recently updated its packaging to better reflect the preferences of its core consumer base, flexitarians. However, as highlighted by PBN’s recent poll, the industry risks alienating its dedicated vegan customers.