Asda on track with vegan product certification as trend intensifies

19 Feb 2019 --- Major UK retailer Asda is on track for a significant vegan reformulation and labeling drive. Two years after revealing a partnership with The Vegan Society, the certification body says that they are well on the way to having a wide range of products certified. “They are making great strides in getting everything that is vegan registered with us,” Chantelle Adkins, Head of Business Development for The Vegan Society, tells NutritionInsight at last week’s organic foods trade fair, Biofach 2019, in Germany.

The Asda products registered with The Vegan Society include food-to-go options, canned goods, dry foods and alcoholic beverages, according to Adkins. The UK retailer aims to register all of its own brand vegan products with The Vegan Society. 

New product development positioned on a vegan platform has seen significant growth, with a 35 percent increase in product launches recorded with a vegan claim in 2018 from 2014, according to Innova Market Insights. The leading market sub-categories in 2017 for vegan claims on a global basis were cereal and energy bars (5 percent), meat substitutes (4 percent) and dairy alternative drinks (4 percent).

In May 2018, Asda expanded its vegan products range with frozen plant-based burgers, sausages and falafel, all accredited by The Vegan Society. Asda’s push to reach wider audiences via the reformulation and labeling of vegan products comes at a time when it is working on a high profile merger with fellow UK retailer Sainsbury’s. The merger is still under competition consideration, with a report from the UK Competition and Markets Authority expected soon. The fusion would create a retail behemoth that would overtake Tesco in the UK market.

“We think veganism is a trend that is here to stay. We are confident that even non-vegans will continue to choose more ethical, vegan products which will help maintain the vegan trend,” Adkins notes.

Registering products as vegan benefits both companies and vegans, as it makes the distinction between non-vegan and vegan clear and helps consumers easily navigate the supermarket aisle, Adkins says, adding that retailers and companies are labeling their products as vegan to give them an extra point of focus, marketing wise. 

“We see a lot of vegan food items and cosmetics coming forward. The vegan supplements market is also one that is seeing a lot of growth and there are a lot of ‘vegan-by-accident’ products that are appearing, such as cans of chickpeas and cans of tomato. Things that you wouldn’t necessarily think are vegan but are now being marketed as such, giving them an extra edge,” she says.

Adkins also explains how the industry can easily make the switch to vegan-friendly and more ethical choices. “Swap out those animal ingredients that have known vegan alternatives, know where your products come from and strive for a transparent supply chain as traceability is very important.”

As an illustration of the mainstreaming of vegan new product development, Unilever has expanded its reach with the launch of two 100 percent dairy-free Vegan Magnum ice cream flavors in Australia and New Zealand. The launch of the Magnum Vegan Classic and Magnum Vegan Almond ice cream flavors is, according to the company, a “first for the Australian market” and will allow “vegans the opportunity to enjoy and share a moment of pure pleasure.” 

Following last year’s launch of the Vegan Magnum ice creams in Finland and Sweden, the company plans to further expand in Europe, with the UK being next in line. Last week, Magnum’s vegan ice creams were released in the US market as well. 

In this space, the “Veganuary 2019” campaign, which ran throughout the month of January highlighted the popularity of vegan diets even further. The UK-headquartered group behind the campaign says that it shows how far veganism has come over the past few years. 500,000 people across the world have now taken the “Veganuary pledge,” and according to the group, “judging by what past participants tell us, for every ten people who took part in the challenge, six will stay vegan.”

This year’s Veganuary campaign was, for the first time, boosted by 13 overseas partnerships. Veganuary extended its global reach by running localized campaigns in India, Sweden, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, South Africa, Japan, Iceland and Russia.

Rachida Brocklehurst, Digital Content Manager for the Veganuary 2019 campaign, tells NutritionInsight that brands offering vegan-friendly versions of old favorites will help as many people by making the transition to a vegan lifestyle more accessible. 

“From artisanal vegan cheese, to plant-based ready meals available in supermarkets, to 100 percent vegan menus at traditional eateries – being vegan has never been easier and we are excited to see a move away from a focus on animal products, as businesses take heed of consumer demands,” she explains.

“We at Veganuary are thrilled with our most recent campaign,” says Brocklehurst. “Not only did we help 250,000 people to try vegan with us, but the concept of ‘going vegan in January’ has moved into the mainstream. This is evident not only in the array of media and press coverage but also with the number of brands, restaurants and businesses that are creating new products and menus with a flexitarian, plant-based or vegan customer in mind.”

In terms of product reformulation, items such as vegan mayonnaise offered more options when it comes to “grab and go” food that is free from animal products. “Additionally, within the UK, the fact that vegan sandwiches can be found all over the high street, in both chain and independent stores, showcases the importance of listening to consumer trends, and providing original, quality alternatives – that are also fairly priced,” Brocklehurst adds. 

“Naturally, we would like to see suitable alternatives replace animal products wherever they are used, including ingredients such as gelatin, beeswax and lanolin and this is probably the next step for industry to explore,” she concludes.

There should be no slowing down for new product innovation with vegan suitability going forward, with plant-based dairy alternatives and meat substitutes already rapidly moving into the mainstream. The rise of veganism is indicative of a growing theme towards mindful consumption. Animal welfare and environmental concerns form clear goals among the following of such a strict diet.

The Economist’s “The World in 2019” predicts that veganism will be the most popular topic of the new year, declaring 2019 “the year veganism goes mainstream.” According to the report, 25 percent of Americans 25 to 34 years old identify as vegan or vegetarian. US sales of vegan foods rose 10 times faster from January to June 2018 than food sales as a whole, a spike largely attributable to millennials and Gen Z members, who are increasingly switching to a vegan lifestyle.