People are tired of vegan food, says plant-based burger chef

Neat Burger co-founder Zach Bishti (left) says too many companies have tried to exploit the vegan «hype». Credit: Neat Burger

Customers are 'tired' of poor quality vegan food, says UK plant-based burger chain chief executive.

Zak Bishti, co-founder and chief executive of Neat Burger, said companies have launched too many products too early in an attempt to capitalize on the 'hype'.

However, the flood of poor-quality products has scared away many visitors and could now cause irreparable damage, he warned.

Mr. Bishti said, “You have one chance. There are people who have been big meat eaters all their lives and they are open to it.

“But very often they have a bad experience and then write it off for later. for a long time.»

The comments come from a number of companies that are moving away from the vegan market, blaming poor sales.

Yorkshire-based sausage maker Heck said last month it had reduced its product range vegan sausages from 15 to just two due to weak demand.

Nestlé has discontinued products, including the Garden Gourmet minced meat line, sausages and hamburgers, and the pea-based milk alternative Wunda. The company said these brands are «not viable» in the current market conditions.

In the US, McDonald's retired the McPlant burger, which used the Beyond Meat plant-based patty, after lack of customer interest during a trial launch.

Neat Burger expands in North America after successful funding round

Mr. Bishti did not name specific businesses, but said about the industry as a whole: and sometimes too harsh.

«Every major [food] company in The game had some kind of board meeting and they said, “OK, right, we need to make plant-based success.”

“They just released 1001 products. And I think that consumers felt tired.”

Meat-free supermarket sales fell £37.3m in the year to September 2022, according to NielsenIQ data published in The Grocer.

Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Waitrose have reduced the number of vegan products they sell in recent months due to an overestimation of the scale of demand.

Mr Bishti said: “People have let the hype lead.”

However, he said that the outlook for the market in the long run remains positive, despite the mistakes of some food producers.

He said: «We're really talking about a big shift in consumer habits, it's bound to be bumpy.» road.»

Despite the overabundance of the vegan market, Mr. Bishti said his business is doing well.

Neat Burger, backed by investors like Lewis Hamilton and Leonardo DiCaprio , serves fast food style burgers made with mung beans, quinoa and chickpeas. Sales are up 20% compared to the first quarter of 2023.

The chain has raised $18m (£14.5m) from investors, including Formula One star Mr Hamilton, who is vegan, to fund expansion in North America. .

Mr Bishti said restaurants in North America don't face the same pressure as they do in the UK. Inflation is currently at 4.9% in the US compared to 8.7% in the UK.

He said: “If everything goes well, we will definitely have more opportunities and we will be able to open more sites '.