As convenience eating continues to surge in popularity, Waitrose has added nine new and improved products to its PlantLiving range, including the PlantLiving: Aubergine, Mushroom & Edamame Pillows with Soy & Ginger and PlantLiving: Vietnamese Style Vegetable Pancakes with a Lime and Chilli Dip. Searches on Waitrose.com for vegan and convenience cooking have been trending, with ‘vegan ready meals’ and ‘ready meals’ both up 31% and 30% over the last 90 days.
Recent research conducted by Waitrose indicated that almost half of customers (46%) are already trying to eat, or are interested in eating, 30 different plants a week*. 87%** of customers agreed that having the number of plant varieties on labels would help them actively try to eat 30 different plants a week.
Abby Catmull, Vegan Product Developer, said: “With customers looking to incorporate more plants into their diet, we have added the new ‘plant varieties’ logo to the packaging of 14 of our PlantLiving products. Our new PlantLiving: Vietnamese Style Vegetable Pancakes with a Lime and Chilli Dip contains 11 plant varieties, providing customers with a third of their 30-plants weekly goal in one snack! Packed with beansprouts, cabbage, and oyster mushrooms, to name a few, these pancakes are delicious served with the accompanying zingy nuoc cham style dipping sauce.”
Emily Quinn, Waitrose Vegan and Vegetarian Buyer, said: “We know that our customers want something which is both delicious and nutritionally beneficial, and sales for key plant based products such as our PlantLiving: Vegetable Tikka Masala & Rice and PlantLiving: Smoky Chilli & Rice are up 17% and 5%, last week, versus the same time last year.”
Our PlantLiving: Indian Inspired Takeaway Feast has seen a month-on-month sales increase of 38% and was named the ‘Best Vegan Ready-Meal’ in Good Food’s 2024 Plant-Based Supermarket Awards while our PlantLiving: Southern Fried No Chicken were also named the ‘Best Vegan Chicken Nuggets’ in the same test. Last year, Waitrose saw a remarkable surge in demand for vegan Christmas foods, with sales soaring over 200% year on year, highlighting that vegan eating is no longer confined just to January.
For those scratch cookers, Waitrose introduced new PlantLiving products last year such as PlantLiving: Plant & Veg Mince, PlantLiving: Plant & Vegballs and PlantLiving: Organic Firm Tofu, which makes for great bases for everyday meals - providing food lovers convenience, versatility and delicious options when it comes to home cooking on a plant based diet. Following their launch, Waitrose saw a month-on-month sales rise for the PlantLiving: Plant & Veg Mince (+9%) and PlantLiving: Plant & Vegballs (+8%). This week, we have seen sales for our PlantLiving: Organic Firm Tofu and PlantLiving: Organic Marinated Tofu increase by 55% and 32%, respectively.
Discover our new PlantLiving products in our shops and online on Waitrose.com with select products also available on Deliveroo, UberEats, and Just Eat.
Notes to editors
* We surveyed 1,599 people in November 2024, who had shopped in Waitrose in the past three months
** Among those who don't actively eat 30 plants a week, but are interested in doing so, 87% of customers agreed that having the number of plant varieties on labels would help them actively try to eat 30 different plants a week.
About Plant Varieties and 30 Plants a Week
At Waitrose, we believe that good health starts with eating more of the delicious foods we love rather than worrying too much about the foods we need to restrict.
Eating more plants is nutritious - and delicious too. Our plant variety logo has been created to make it easier for customers to choose products with more fruit, vegetables, nuts & seeds, herbs & spices, wholegrains and legumes.
