Animal Aid’s National Vegetarian Vegan-Friendly Supermarket Survey
In August 2006, Animal Aid launched a nationwide survey to find Britain’s most vegetarian & vegan friendly supermarket chain, by asking members and supporters of Animal Aid to visit their local store and complete a survey while there. Morrisons and Waitrose were considered the tops in vegetarian and vegan supermarkets, respectively.
In total, 622 supermarkets were evaluated by patrons for the extent of vegetarian and vegan provisions. Of these places, Waitrose scored 55% for its vegan options and 65% for its vegetarian options, which was second to Morrisons, which scored 69% in the vegetarian category. Overall, Waitrose was found to be the most vegetarian & vegan friendly supermarket in Britain, due to its wide range of meat and dairy free products and its reputation for having an ethical stance. (Waitrose was also named the most farm animal-friendly supermarket chain by Compassion in World Farming, and the most environmentally-friendly supermarket group by the National Consumer Council.
This study also estimated that about 6% of the UK population is totally vegetarian and about 2,000 people each week stop eating meat. Approximately 40% of people are refraining from meat at least once a week. Britain has the second largest number of vegetarians in Europe, second to Germany.
In addition, the survey found that an increasing number of people who do not consider themselves vegetarian are choosing to purchase non-animal foods. The UK retail market for vegetarian foods is increasing by 8% per year. By increasing the variety of vegetarian products available, supermarkets are influencing the number of people who are becoming vegetarian.
Other findings:
- In general, supermarkets stock an adequate range of products for vegetarian customers and many are improving in their selections of vegan products.
- The survey respondents wanted a larger range of chilled and frozen products in their supermarkets.
- In particular, there was a lack of supermarket-branded vegetarian and vegan products.
- Better labeling of vegan products and improved signage within the store were common requests.