In recent weeks, customers at UK retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) have noticed that the chain’s plant-based food range, Plant Kitchen, is mostly absent from some stores.
After many customers took to social media to complain, media outlets contacted M&S to enquire about the apparent disappearance of the products. In response, the retailer explained that it was making changes to the Plant Kitchen range.
The Sun reports that some Plant Kitchen products will no longer be located in a dedicated vegan section; instead, they will be spread throughout the store, with the hope that they will catch the eye of more meat-eaters. For example, the No Beef Steak Pies will be placed with the other chilled pies.
In some respects, the move does makes sense — research has previously indicated that many consumers do not visit dedicated vegan aisles, with plant-based meat sales increasing significantly when products are placed next to conventional meat.
However, some commenters — such as Karen Spinner from The Vegan Society — have expressed concern that the move could make it significantly more difficult for plant-based shoppers to find what they are looking for. Furthermore, vegans and vegetarians may now have to visit the meat aisle to find plant-based products, which some may object to.
New branding
Meanwhile, Plant Based News has reported that the packaging of some Plant Kitchen products is also set to change. Their distinctive blue branding will be altered to more closely resemble regular M&S products, though there will still be a small Plant Kitchen logo. Again, this could potentially help the products appeal to a wider range of consumers, but may also make it more difficult for plant-based shoppers to find them.
Veg-forward products
Some of the products themselves will also be updated, as M&S embraces vegetables over plant-based meat. For example, the Plant Kitchen Sweet and Sour No Chicken ready meal will now be made with battered cauliflower instead of battered plant-based chicken. This is in line with evolving consumer preferences for less processed plant-based products, with other retailers such as Tesco having announced their intention to focus on “veg-led” options.
M&S initially launched the Plant Kitchen line in 2019 with 60 products. The range was expanded several times in subsequent years, and the chain reports that it doubled Plant Kitchen sales to more than £75 million by 2024.
“We are currently working through a big project to relaunch our Plant Kitchen vegan range,” an M&S spokesperson told The Sun. “We have not changed the number of vegan products per se, but are in the process of changing their design, upgrading the product quality, and launching some key new lines while removing a few others and changing their position in store.”
