Upmarket British supermarket chain Waitrose has expanded its plant-based PlantLiving range with nine new and improved products, including Aubergine, Mushroom & Edamame Pillows with Soy & Ginger and Vietnamese Style Vegetable Pancakes with a Lime and Chilli Dip.
The products’ packaging has also been updated, after research conducted by Waitrose reportedly found that 46% of consumers are trying to eat, or interested in eating, 30 different plants per week. 87% agreed that indicating the number of plant varieties in a product on the label would help them achieve this goal, so Waitrose has set out to make this change.
“With customers looking to incorporate more plants into their diet, we have added the new ‘plant varieties’ logo to the packaging of 14 of our PlantLiving products,” said Vegan Product Developer Abby Catmull. “Our new PlantLiving: Vietnamese Style Vegetable Pancakes with a Lime and Chilli Dip contains 11 plant varieties, providing customers with a third of their 30-plants weekly goal in one snack! Packed with beansprouts, cabbage, and oyster mushrooms, to name a few, these pancakes are delicious served with the accompanying zingy nuoc cham style dipping sauce.”
“Delicious and nutritionally beneficial”
Waitrose has reported a 31% surge in searches for the term “vegan ready meals” in the last 90 days, while one meal — the PlantLiving: Indian Inspired Takeaway Feast — has seen a month-on-month sales increase of 38%. Additionally, the chain says it saw a 200% increase in sales of vegan Christmas foods last year, indicating that demand for plant-based products is not confined to Veganuary.
Last May, Waitrose expanded the PlantLiving range to meet the growing demand for less processed plant-based foods, adding products such as tofu, vegetable kebabs, and curried vegetable mini rolls.
“We know that our customers want something which is both delicious and nutritionally beneficial, and sales for key plant-based products such as our PlantLiving: Vegetable Tikka Masala & Rice and PlantLiving: Smoky Chilli & Rice are up 17% and 5% last week versus the same time last year,” said Waitrose Vegan and Vegetarian Buyer Emily Quinn.
