Greencore plans to launch 1200 new products by the end of 2021 of which 40% will either be vegan or vegetarian.

Britain’s biggest sandwich maker Greencore has committed to making almost 50% of its new products meat-free after spending years ‘building momentum’ in its range in line with consumers’ changing preferences.

The Ireland-based convenience-foods manufacture supplies pre-packaged sandwiches to major UK supermarkets including Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, and Sainsbury’s.

‘Strong demand’

Although Greencore saw a £1.8 million pre-tax loss in the six months to 26 March as a result of tiered restrictions and COVID initiated lockdowns, the group plans to add 1200 new products by the end of 2021 of which 40% will either be vegan or vegetarian.

In an interview with the Evening Standard, the company’s chief executive, Patrick Coveney,  said there has been a “strong demand from consumers and customers for different types of healthier products,” and with the restrictions easing, the demand for its food-to-go products is bouncing back strongly.

‘Changing consumer tastes‘

Commenting on the new lineup, a Greencore representative told The Independent: “At Greencore, we’re constantly refreshing and evolving our product range to respond to changing consumer tastes.

“Meat-free is a trend that’s been developing for some time and we’ve really built momentum in our meat-free ranges over the past few years.”

Plant-based trend

Greencore isn’t the only food firm making changes to its product range.

Last year, furniture giant IKEA pledged to make 50% of its restaurant meals plant-based by 2025.

The company added that 80% of its packaged food offerings will also be plant-based within the next five years.

Earlier this year, Unilever’s  CEO Alan Jope told Bloomberg that plant-based products will be one of the top five global categories the brand wants to prioritize as demand for it has become an ‘inexorable’ trend.

The corporation has also set an annual global sales target of €1 billion for its vegan food products, by 2027.

In March, the Co-operative Group reduced prices of 29 products in its Gro range in a bid to make the products more accessible and assist consumers in “decisions that collectively will have an impact on the world we all share”.

After committing to achieving price parity, the retailer added it will also launch six new plant-based products to offer customers more choices in meatless burger bites, cocktail sausages, ‘buffalo’ wings, ribs, and ice creams.

• Read: Breaking: EU Parliament rejects controversial ‘dairy ban’ against vegan producers

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