This was the first Food & Drink Innovation Network seminar I have chaired since Fresh Montgomery took over, following the death of the much-missed Jeffrey Hyman last year. Soraya and her team delivered a well-organised, smoothly run day that very much took the best of what Jeffrey had achieved and built on this, not least in the choice of the Radisson Bloomsbury Street as an excellent new venue.
And what an on-trend topic to kick off with – Plant Power! Unquestionably the trend that has hit UK food hardest this year, starting with Veganuary and gathering momentum as the year has progressed. Even Grace Dent came out this week as a vegan!
We had a wide range of speakers – you can see the full line-up here , which is also where the presentations from the day will be available. I enjoyed the day enormously – it was a packed room with lots of interaction and some thoughtful questions to the speakers.
I learnt a lot. My top four takeouts from the day were:
- Vegan, plant-based and free-from are distinct categories with some overlap but they all have different characteristics and they each fulfil a different consumer need.
- When shopping in supermarkets most consumers want vegan products located on the mainstream fixtures ie vegan sausages next to meat-containing sausages. Vegan “ghettos” are only popular with the most committed consumers.
- Plant-based and vegan brands should start using the sustainability card. Their superior environmental credentials appeal to Gen Z consumers just as much as do health and animal welfare.
- This is not a fad – the rise of plant-based and vegan products is unstoppable and will continue to create significant commercial opportunities for the brave and the nimble.