Leading UK supermarkets have been removing vegan sandwich options from their offerings, including Morrisons and ASDA who have both completely removed the plant-based selections. The move comes as the sandwiches are seen as too expensive and not a commercially viable option to have on the shelves.
Alongside Morrisons and ASDA, Tesco has reduced its plant-based sandwich choice by 28% compared to 2019, a recent survey by Eating Better has revealed. Those options that do remain on the shelf are usually found to be more expensive compared to their meat-based alternatives. This was found to be the case at Sainsbury's where their plant-based options are on average 15% more expensive than non-vegan sandwiches.
Despite their higher price point, the use of alternative proteins in the sandwich category has increased by 620% since 2019.
Simon Billing, the executive director of Eating Better, said: "Three years on from our last sandwich survey, and with yet more evidence from climate scientists on the need to reduce our meat consumption, it's deeply disappointing that the sandwich aisle is still too meaty and that plant-based is too pricey.
"Companies make commitments to tackle climate change and promote healthy eating, but our survey shows they're still not doing enough to support affordable, sustainable diets.
"And even though there's been a big leap in alternative protein fillings, it's been at the expense of dropping veggie sandwiches. Our poll shows they're still a popular choice."
Anna Taylor, executive director at Food Foundation, said: "The lack of affordability of plant-based options is a serious barrier to people transitioning to healthy and more sustainable diets. If people are going to reduce their meat consumption, alternative options need to be the most convenient and affordable for everyone."
Eating Better is a movement for change of sixty organisations working to accelerate the transition from producing and eating too much meat and dairy to a fairer, healthier and more sustainable food system that is better for animal welfare and for nature. Find out more about the organisation, together with the results of their survey, here.