Vegetarian-Only Fridges Debut at 200 Finnish Supermarkets

Finland-based supermarket chain K-Food added “vege shelves” (or vegetarian-only display cases) to 200 locations this week. “Sales of plant-based protein products in K-food stores have grown strongly in recent years,” K-Food parent company Kesko’s Vice President of Commerce Ari Akseli said. “Growth has taken place in a number of product categories, including vegetable protein products, vegan ice cream, non-dairy milks, as well as soy and bean products.” Over the last year in Finland, sales of hummus and falafel have seen an astounding increase of 305 percent in sales. Vegan frozen foods and non-dairy products are also doing particularly well, with large increases in sales in both categories this year. “Vegetarian food made an especially strong breakthrough in Finland last year and the ‘vege shelves’ corresponded with changes in consumer habits,” Akseli said. Earlier this month, forward-thinking restaurant chain Pret A Manger announced that it too would install “veggie fridges” (exclusively meat-free refrigerators) in all of its UK locations to entice customers to purchase its vegan and vegetarian options.