Britain’s vegan market is in crisis with businesses going bust and products pulled from shelves amid concerns over ‘ultra-processed’ food and the cost of living.
Meatless Farm has become the latest victim after the Leeds-based company made its 50-strong workforce redundant last Friday and collapsed into administration.
The firm was set up in 2016 and sold £11million worth of plant-based mince, burgers and chicken in 2021 – but has struggled as demand for meat-free products slowed.
Its failure comes as experts warned the trendy vegan market was now ‘stagnant’ as people search for more healthy alternatives and turn their backs on the animal-free food and drink products which briefly took over supermarket shelves in the UK.
Other brands to have faltered in Britain in recent months include Yorkshire-based sausage maker Heck which has dropped most of its vegan products, and Swedish oat milk firm Oatly which has withdrawn its dairy-free ice cream offering in the UK.
In addition, Nestle said in March it was removing its Garden Gourmet plant-based vegan brand from the shelves of UK stores, less than two years after it was released.
