The increase in demand for plant-based or meat-free alternatives is showing no sign of abating, with sales of products in this category continuing their strong upward trajectory.
In fact, going meat-free has never looked so good.
There is now a vast array of plant-based alternatives to meat products for consumers to choose from.
While not everyone wants to fully commit to a 100% vegan lifestyle, terms such as ‘flexitarianism’ and concepts such as ‘Veganuary’ or ‘Meat-Free Monday,’ are driving awareness and encouraging consumers to try alternatives to meat, even on an ad-hoc basis.
Checkouts Top 100 Brands 2022
The Vegetarian Fresh Meals category has risen, by 11 places, from its number-91 position in 2021 to rank at number 80 in 2022, according to the top 100 categories, in Checkout's Top 100 Brands 2022, in association with NielsenIQ.
This category, which was created by NielsenIQ to reflect the growing popularity of vegetarian meals among consumers, was introduced to the Top 100 in 2021.
This trend has been growing steadily in recent years, but it received a major boost with the onset of the pandemic, as consumers sought to boost their immune systems with healthy foods.
In fact, the word ‘vegetarian’ is now synonymous with ‘healthy’ in the minds of many consumers.
The Happy Pear and Quorn retain their number-one and number-two positions from 2021.
Founded four years ago by a UK-based husband-and-wife team, the Tofoo Company enters the top five in third place, pushing Cauldron into fourth place.
Ireland's Top 4 Vegetarian Fresh Meals
1 The Happy Pear
The Happy Pear started out back in 2004 with Steve and Dave. Fast forward 15 years, The Happy Pear now consists of a cafe and shop in Greystones, Wicklow, 60 products, seven online courses, five cookbooks, a farm, a roastery.
2 Quorn
Quorn is a brand of meat substitute products. Quorn originated in the UK and is sold primarily in Europe, but is available in 14 countries.
3 The Tofoo Company
Tofoo is made to a traditional Japanese recipe using only three ingredients: water, soya beans and nigari. The company was established in 2015, by husband and wife team David and Lydia.
4 Cauldron
Cauldron has been making vegetarian and vegan food including tofu, falafel and sausages - for almost 40 years.
The Checkout Top 100 Brands is based on branded value sales across the Irish grocery sector, making it the most accurate barometer of the biggest-selling brands in the marketplace.
In compiling the report, NielsenIQ measures the sales performance of over 5,000 brands from over 200 product classes.
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