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The number of plant-based meals sold through Sodexo’s nearly 500 U.K. client sites grew from eight percent in 2021 to ten percent last year. Leading the growth were clients in the health care industries, selling an average of 17 percent vegan or vegetarian meals. Clients in the East Midlands saw the biggest proportion of plant-based meals at 21 percent.

“Whether people are vegan, vegetarian, or just want to try something new, it’s great to see that more and more customers are trying plant-based meals across our sites. This really demonstrates a shift in consumer awareness, a wider range of options, and a marketplace responding,” Claire Atkins-Morris, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Sodexo, said in a statement.

Sodexo’s vegan options include lentil celeriac chestnut pie, potato mixed bean chilli, tofu summer tart, Southern Indian vegan chickpea curry, vegan mushroom burger, vegan chicken nuggets, and aubergine masala among others.

Sodexo says its Energy and Resources clients saw the biggest increase in vegan and vegetarian meals year-on-year, growing from two percent in 2021 to 12 percent last year. Schools and universities were surprisingly lower at five percent, despite younger generations driving demand for plant-based options. Government sites grew from five percent to seven percent. Corporate Services client sites made up 13 percent of meals, up from ten percent in 2021.

Sodexo released the data ahead of Veganuary, the popular U.K.-based campaign that encourages people to eat vegan for the entire month of January.

“We’re delighted to see Sodexo reporting an increase in sales of vegan and vegetarian meals across their UK and Ireland client sites,” Toni Vernelli, Head of Communication & Marketing at Veganuary said. 

“Veganuary is here to support anyone who wants to try being vegan, but it makes our job a lot simpler when organisations like Sodexo are offering delicious, nutritious, and easily accessible options,” Vernelli said.

“We are a proud supporter of Veganuary, and our community of chefs are encouraging more customers to try our plant-based meals by developing delicious vegan and vegetarian recipes that show the variety of meal options people have at our client sites,” Atkins-Morris said. “As part of our Net Zero commitment, we have set ourselves the goal of increasing the number of plant-based meals and recipes our clients choose from   to 33 percent by 2025.”

Jill Ettinger is Green Queen's resident climate editor. She is the co-founder of Ethos, the first digital and luxury e-commerce platform focused on personal and planetary sustainability.

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