End of meatless options? The decision of an important sausage factory that worries vegans

One of the UK’s most famous sausage makers has made a drastic decision: it eliminated almost the entire range of vegan sausages.

The producer Heck has reduced its range of vegan products. It was about 15 and now it’s only 2. andrew keeble, its co-founder, said he did it due to lack of sales. Sure: he believes demand will return in the coming years.

Keeble said the audience still “I wasn’t ready yet” to switch to vegan sausages. “We had a wide variety of vegan products because, like everyone else, we believed what was written in the press,” she explained to The Telegraph.

“If you look at the massive Silicon Valley valuations out there, people were investing in vegan brands and didn’t want to miss out on the ‘next Google,'” he continued.

While Keeble said they have “incredible products” that are highly functional and “good for the gut,” the businessman interpreted that the public today “didn’t want all that greenery” in sausage.

At present, his company will produce around 90,000 vegan sausages a day.

Are people moving away from vegan?

Sales of meat-free products fell by £37.3m in supermarkets from 2022 to 10 September of the same year, according to data from NielsenIQ.

The numbers aren’t closing in just yet, but Keeble is confident they’ll return to high-quality vegan products. “We are engaged in vegan … But the market is not that developed yet,” he said.

However, for The Vegan Society – according to the BBC – the decline in sales of plant-based edibles does not reflect a rejection of vegan options, but “a change in people’s spending habits“.

“Many people may substitute both meat and meat substitutes for cheaper vegan options in an effort to save money on their weekly shopping,” the company added.

In March, an IPSOS survey found that 33% of people surveyed said the cost of plant-based products was too high, but nearly half (46%) said they plan to cut back on meat consumption in the future. .

All in family

Heck is known for its sausages, but has recently expanded its product range. He has prepared, for example, meatballs, hamburgers and bacon.

The company was founded in 2012 by Keeble and his wife Deborah. Both had industry experience, having owned another brand of sausages, Debbie and Andrewwhich they sold in 2005. They run the business with their four children.

In the first half of last year, Heck had a turnover of £26.2m and recorded a loss of about 162 thousand.

On the profit loss compared to 2021, the owner of the company said: “If you look at the cost of living crisis right now, I hope sausages are a good place because they are not an expensive food.”

And he promised:Over the next couple of years, I think we’ll be in a very, very good place.”.