Over a quarter (28%) of Brits identify as a ‘meat-reducer’ and 7 in 10 are avoiding restaurants due to lack of meat-free options research shows.
The study conducted by Censuswide and commissioned by More Than Carrots, analysed 2002 UK adults and their dietary preferences and found that almost a third (32%) of Londoners identified themselves as meat reducers.
To better understand the motivations behind the behaviour of a 14.9 million UK consumers, further analysis was conducted among 2006 UK meat-reducers; those who are actively removing meat from their diet. The findings show that a quarter (26%) of UK ‘meat-reducers’ are avoiding meat due to the impact on the carbon footprint, and 15% are saying they are cutting down on meat to help reduce de-forestation.
Restaurants have some way to go before creating better choices for meat-reducing Brits, with over 1 in 5 (22%) meat-reducers disagreeing that restaurants make it easier for diners to eat less meat. 7 in 10 (73%) have avoided a restaurant or would avoid a restaurant due to its lack of non-meat options.
On average, the typical UK ‘meat-reducer’ spends 13 minutes researching restaurants for dishes before choosing one. And for good reason. 5 of the Top 10 restaurants from the National Restaurant Awards that were awarded in June 2018 have no vegetarian main dishes on their a la carte menu.
In response to the desire of UK consumers to eat less meat, More Than Carrots systematically analysed restaurant menus to create the first veggie guide for meat-eaters.
Today, More Than Carrots launches a league table of London restaurants to enable people to easily compare them for their selection of meat-free dishes, before clicking through to OpenTable to make a booking. The analysis reveals that less than 25% of the main dishes in London restaurants are vegetarian.