Sainsbury’s Meat-Free Sales Growing 20 Percent Weekly

United Kingdom-based grocery chain Sainsbury’s—the second largest supermarket chain in the region—recently announced a surge in sales of its existing meat-free products. “We are seeing an increasing interest from our customers in plant-based foods,” James Hamilton, Sainsbury’s meat-free and ready meals buyer, told media outlet Food Manufacture, “with sales of our current meat-free range growing 20 percent each week.” To capitalize on the trend, the chain will add vegan meat alternatives made by Danish brand Natruli’ Foods to the meat department of 400 Sainsbury’s locations this week. Other chains in the UK, including Tesco which launched the Wicked Kitchen ready-made-meals line created by vegan chef Derek Sarno, have recently debuted plant-based options to serve the growing vegan and vegan-curious population in the region. Last week, Tesco reported that it sold 2.5 million units of Wicked Kitchen products in the 20-week period ending in May.