UK retailer Sainsbury's has opened a 'meat-free butchers', a first-of-its-kind concept, to coincide with World Meat Free Week.
Sainsbury's unveiled the alternative butcher today (21 June), offering customers an array of 100% plant-based options.
Meat-Like Cuts
Meat-like cuts such as joints and strings of sausages will be available, made from the likes of mushroom, jackfruit and even pea protein.
Customers will be able to visit the butchers for three days in Bethnal Green, east London, where they can choose from over a dozen fresh foods, which can be taken home in their own bags or containers.
The retailer revealed it has seen a 65% increase in sales of plant-based products year-on-year.
According to the Future of Food report published by Sainsbury's, the retailer predicts that a quarter of all British people will be vegetarian by 2025.
It also reported that half of the UK could identify as 'flexitarians' in five years' time.
Plant-Based Cooking
However, although veganism is predicted to be on the rise, over half of Britons admitted to never trying what they would consider a 'meat alternative', Sainsbury's added.
"Whilst we’re seeing a huge climb in sales of our plant-based foods, we know from conversations with customers that there is a sense of trepidation about cooking with them." said James Hamilton, buyer, Sainsbury's.
"We have carefully selected the products on offer from the growing range of over 100 plant-based products now available at Sainsbury’s, so customers are in for a real meat-free treat when visiting the butchers!” he added.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Helen Galgey. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
