With veganism continuing to be a hot topic, the number of full-time vegans is often questioned, along with the effects that the lifestyle choice is having on the meat industry. Rangewell (www.rangewell.com), a company that helps to find finance solutions for businesses in the UK, has analysed research including industry statistics and national shopping patterns to see whether vegans are actually carving out a significant niche in the food industry.

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Veganuary, an initiative created to encourage non-vegans to try the diet for the month of January, has seen a vast increase in the number of sign-ups and the number of converted vegans with . However, Steven Evans, Consumer Insight Manager at the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (ADHB), said: “Although veganism is getting more air-time, Kantar Worldpanel research shows only 4.7% of people report being vegetarian, that data also includes those who said they are vegan, this is compared to 4.5% in 2013, so growth is in line with that of the UK population.” This is also a stark contrast to 91% of British households still buying red meat.

Despite a 2016 Ipsos Mori poll suggesting that there are over 500,000 vegans in the UK, a figure which is three times more than in 2006, Evans shockingly revealed the meagre number of people who removed meat from their shopping baskets entirely. He explained: “While there is interest in meat-free diets; only 0.2% of buyers left the meat, fish and poultry category this year, showing that the majority of these consumers are purchasing both meat and meat-free products.” Additionally, the number of butchers in the UK rose in 2015, a year after Veganuary’s founding year (2014) from 5,940 to 6,045 according to the ONS.