Vegetarianism is on the up

New research from The Food People predicts that the number of vegetarians in Britain will dramatically increase in the next two years and there will be a notable rise in “flexitarianism” – the trend of eating less meat and more vegetables without adopting full vegetarianism. The company says that this movement towards ‘less-meat’ diets has been spurred by the health and environmental benefits of vegetarianism being more widely known and the fact that high profile chefs, such as Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and Rene Redzepi, are now embracing and celebrating vegetables and fruits. Another example is Grant Achatz, who will be introducing a vegan menu in his Chicago restaurant, Next, from May to August. Charles Banks, Director of The Food People says; “20 years ago vegetarianism was scoffed at, but of late there has been a seismic shift in attitudes towards celebrating vegetables and opting to eat less meat. We expect meat free eating and flexitarianism to soon be a mega trend”. The UK can expect to see more vegetarian restaurants, more omnivorous restaurants providing creative and inspirational meat-free options as part of regular menus, more pre-prepared vegetarian convenience food in supermarkets as well as an overall greater acceptance of vegetarian diets and their associated benefits. The research was commissioned by Linda McCartney Foods as part of a Love Linda campaign which the brand and the McCartney family are launching to remember Linda’s life and the great influence she had in encouraging people to eat less meat. Watch Mary McCartney in an ITV interview about vegetarian food here .