Are vegetarians being pushed out? As restaurants offer more vegan options, people who avoid meat but still eat dairy condemn ‘lazy’ eateries for ‘lumping them together’

Reports indicate that as of January 2024, as many as 1.8 million people had signed up to take part in Veganuary – an initiative that encourages people to ditch meat and dairy for a month – and beyond.

While just a few years ago it was difficult to find a vegan option in stores or on menus, plant-based eating is now being described as the fastest growing fast food segment of 2021.

Food delivery service Ubereats reported a staggering 163 percent increase in vegan food orders that year, showing a clear demand for food that is both meat and dairy-free.

But perhaps most importantly when it comes to food launches, Veganuary is described by co-founder Matthew Glover as a ‘bigger retail event than Christmas’ when it comes to food launches.

January is filled with plant-based launches, with retailers, diners and other food suppliers eager to join the Veganuary contingent.

In other words: there is plenty of demand for vegan food, and supermarkets and restaurants are happy to meet that growing demand.

However, some have noted that demand for plant-based products could have peaked, with a vegan eatery in Macclesfield, Cheshire admitting earlier this year that it had been forced to put meat on the menu to make more money.

Adonis Norouznia said he made the decision to change the menu at Nomas Gastrobar after too many customers came to the restaurant only to leave after reading the vegan menu.

Additionally, a number of meat alternative brands have seen sales decline, causing some businesses to face closure.

However, market research has attributed this to the cost of living crisis and the relatively higher prices of meat and dairy alternatives.

A report from market research company NIQ, entitled Flexitarianism: from niche to mainstream, shows that 14.3 percent (4.1 million) British households will follow a vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian or flexitarian diet by 2023.

According to Katrina Bishop, UK thought leadership activation manager at NIQ: ‘UK consumers are facing challenging economic pressures, and price is a major factor preventing flexible eaters from purchasing meat and dairy alternatives in the current climate.

‘This is reflected in the impact Veganuary has had in driving new interest this year, with retailers’ focus being more on the overall price message, impacting sales during this period.’

Vegans do not eat any animal products and choose to avoid all meat and dairy products on ethical grounds.

The Vegan Society describes veganism as a philosophy and way of life that seeks to eliminate – as far as possible and practicable – all forms of exploitation of and cruelty to animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.

In addition to excluding animals and their secretions from their diet, vegans avoid wearing their skin (i.e. fur, leather and wool) and using animals for entertainment. For example, they do not visit circuses that use animals, or zoos or aquariums.

But while it’s becoming easier to have a vegan meal when you eat out, one group of people have complained that this comes at a loss: vegetarians.

Unlike vegans, vegetarians simply avoid consuming meat.

Although veganism is a protected belief under the Equality Act, vegetarianism is not so much a preference for simply avoiding meat – and some veggies are irritated by the subjugation of their diet to the trendy alternative.

This means that if restaurants offer a vegan meal, it covers both bases and is acceptable for both vegans and veggies.

But while this may seem like a viable option, a debate on

This is evident from an article on this subject published by the times: ‘A spirited debate about

An irritated vegetarian took to the stage to share his thoughts on the subject, writing: ‘me neither [veggie or vegan] but daughter is a vegetarian and is constantly fretting about the lack of vegetarian options as they have all been replaced with vegan choices. It’s the cheese, for her. She doesn’t want vegan cheese (I’m not sure even vegans want vegan cheese). Interesting others think the same way.’

In a similar vein, a third added: ‘This trend has been annoying me for a while, vegan and vegetarian are different categories. I want cheese, eggs, dairy and honey in my menus. To lump us together is frankly lazy, we both deserve attention! Even if it’s only one choice (vegan), often ultra-processed – super lazy!’

And a fourth agreed, writing: ‘Well, I’m with that reader too! The gradual entry of vegans into restaurant menus, replacing virtually all vegetarian options, is a source of enormous disappointment.”

A fifth added: ‘It’s not exactly a big deal but there is now a trend towards making the one vegetarian option on a menu also vegan. People deserve real cheese!’

However, the topic was hotly debated, with a number of people arguing against having both vegetarian and vegan options on the menu.

One wrote: ‘Keep the vegan options as some of us are vegetarian by choice and then have a dairy intolerance. Knowing it’s vegan makes it easier to ask or choose and know it’s okay to eat without the risk of disease.”

Another wrote: ‘It’s a matter of cooking with the lowest common denominator. There are three times as many vegetarians as vegans, but many restaurants no longer have a vegetarian option and expect us to have to make do with vegan.’

Meanwhile, a third added: ‘I’m a vegetarian, I don’t mind the vegan choices, although I will ask if it can be vegetarian if it has cheese in it.’

And a fourth wrote: ‘The question people need to ask themselves is: why are they vegetarian? When it comes to animal welfare, bite the bullet and choose the vegan option and stop complaining.”