According to new research, British consumers saved 6.7 billion pounds in 2019 by consuming inexpensive, plant-based foods rather than animal and animal-derived products, which further lowered the intake of meat in Britain.
More than 12 million meat eaters ate less beef, pork, chicken, and lamb in 2019 when compared to previous years. Thanks to this change, they were able to save around 550 pounds each.
This research was commissioned by the vegetarian brand Linda McCartney’s and the surveyors were 2000 British adults.
The Numbers Will Continue to Grow?
In 2020, more than 1/5 of the participants stated that they plan to minimize their consumption of meat. Some claimed they’ll make initial reductions and even remove animal products for good.
The research found that for 28 percent of the participants, saving money with a plant-based diet was a crucial factor.
51 percent believe that meat is expensive and 44 percent said that a lifestyle free of meat is now affordable more than ever before.
According to the author of One Pound Meals, Miguel Barclay, who worked together with Linda McCartney’s to advise about the best ways to go meat-free in an inexpensive way, there’s a real disinformation about the costs of going plant-based.
This research shows that you can actually save money by going vegetarian or vegan.
Barclay believes in showing people how to prepare tasty, yet affordable food. Meat-free diets don’t need to be expensive or fancy to be tasty and filling, he further claims.
The Consumption of Meat in Britain
Findings from the study indicate that the people who still consume meat do it an average of 4 times per week. 1 in 6 people said they eat meat daily.
¼ of them stated that they feel they consume too much meat. 6 out of 10 emphasized that they’ve been thinking about a reduction of their meat intake for some time.
Less than 50 percent of the surveyors stated that they’re more open to a meat-free diet. ¾ of the meat eaters who tried meat-free food said that they enjoyed it.
Around 4 from 10 participants plan to go entirely meatless in 2020.
In the UK, flexitarianism or following a plant-forward, but not an entirely vegan diet, is becoming more and more trending.
Sainsbury’s, a British supermarket, claims that around 91 percent of British people are flexitarians.
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