“South Africans are slowly taking the leap from vegetarianism into veganism.”

South Africa is among the top five countries for the most ordered vegan dishes globally, Uber Eats’ annual global report reveals.

According to the food delivery service, it witnessed a 71% increase in healthy foods in South Africa during its hard lockdown and the trend has continued since.

The UK, Poland, France and Portugal were the other countries in Uber Eats’ top five list.

Veganism has been steadily rising across the African continent. Last year, data released by Chef’s Pencil,  a culinary website featuring recipes and news from the food and restaurant industries, showed that South Africa topped in Africa and ranked 23rd worldwide for veganism popularity based on Google Trends data.

Uptake of vegan orders

Uber eats report shows that the most popular vegan dishes ordered on the food platform in South Africa include a traditional vegan burger patty followed by a wheat-based margarita pizza and roasted butternut curry.

Soya butter chicken was the most ordered meal for those interested in trying plant-based options but are not yet ready to make the switch.

Shane Austin, head of operations at Uber Eats South Africa said: “Locally, we’re excited by the continued uptake of vegan orders on the app.

“What we’ve seen is that South Africans are slowly taking the leap from vegetarianism into veganism, as restaurants are now offering vegan-friendly substitutes for some of their most iconic dishes.”

More vegan choices on the app

In order to facilitate the growing demand for healthier meat-free options, Uber Eats has increased the number of vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants offering more options to its consumers. As a result, orders from January to October this year have doubled in comparison to the same period last year and tripled since 2018.

Misconceptions

Despite the rising interest in plant-based eating, a study into the vegan diet by University of KwaZulu-Natal graduate Sansha Kohidh showed that local vegans still struggled to find suitable options in restaurants, The Times South Africa reported.

Kohidh findings showed that while animal welfare and sustainability were the main reasons compelling people to adopt the diet, misconceptions, including that the food is bland and tasteless, expensive and lacking nutrition were widespread among the general public.

• Read: Deliveroo says vegan orders surge by 187% in 2020

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