UK retailer Waitrose launches new PlantLiving products to cater to rising flexitarian eating habits

As flexitarian eating continues to surge in popularity, UK retailer Waitrose has announced the launch of 12 new PlantLiving products, specially crafted to meet evolving dietary preferences including less soya protein and more of the GOOD stuff – vegetables, beans and pulses.

“With customers prioritizing whole foods, we have incorporated more vegetables into our plant-based proteins," commented Simona Cohen-Vida-Welsh, Waitrose Vegan Product Developer. "Our new PlantLiving: Plant & Veg Mince and PlantLiving: Plant & Vegballs are both made from vegetables and pulses and are extremely versatile – allowing customers to make easy and delicious plant-based meals everyday.”

The latest data from Waitrose.com reveals a significant uptick in searches for key ingredients such as canned lentils, marinated tofu and vegan salad recipes with increases of 200%, 134% ,and 700% respectively. This trend reveals that there is growing customer demand to incorporate more whole foods into diets.

“Our customers are looking to consume less meat and by using PlantLiving: Plant & Veg Mince, PlantLiving: Loaded Vegetable Kebabs and PlantLiving: No Chorizo Sausages, they can make delicious plant-based swaps without all the prep,” added Catherine Shacklock, Waitrose Vegan & Vegetarian Buyer.

“Plant-based proteins such as tofu, have become kitchen heroes, and our new PlantLiving: Organic Firm Tofu is made using traditional Japanese techniques – which means it is perfect to cook with and a great base for most recipes.”

New products include PlantLiving: Plant & Veg Mince, PlantLiving: Plant & Vegballs and PlantLiving: Organic Firm Tofu, which make a great base for everyday meals – providing food lovers convenience, versatility and delicious options when it comes to cooking a plant based diet. For those that want a treat – PlantLiving: Garlic-filled Doughballs and PlantLiving: Southern Fried No Chicken will make the perfect addition alongside your vibrant summer salads.