More than half of vegans in Scotland have accidentally consumed food excluded from their diet due to poor food labelling.
Research conducted by Spoon Guru, has revealed that over half of vegans (72%) are being snubbed at restaurants across Scotland; and 75% have been served food that’s excluded from their diet while dining out. With the UK just being named the vegan hub of the world, the research suggests improvements need to be made as more Scots are turning to plant-based diets.
As part of Veganuary, the study looked into the struggles of consumers throughout the UK that have chosen to switch to a new diet.
Whether it’s motivated by food intolerances, allergies or a lifestyle choice, vegan and vegetarian diets proved to be the most popular (26%), while one in two of those surveyed (54%) have chosen to take on an exclusion diet as a ‘lifestyle’ choice. This suggests Brits are becoming more conscious about the ethical side of their food choices and potentially the health benefits.
Scotland comes third in the top five vegan populated UK regions: 1, South West; 2, North East; 3, Scotland; 4, East Anglia; 5, Wales.
Additionally, the results showed that finding the right food on a night out in Scotland is still a challenge for vegans, with 74% saying they find it difficult and 72% revealed they struggle when in social settings or at a function.
Shockingly, the data found that a staggering 72% of vegans have faced prejudice and been given the cold shoulder by waiters because of their choice of diet.
With 64 % of the world’s population now actively excluding certain food from their diet, the food industry is under mounting pressure to meet a growing consumer demand for tailored food choices.
The top three lifestyle diets in Scotland are:
1, Vegetarian (38%); 2, Pescatarian (22%); 3, Vegan (20%).
Based on the survey results, Scottish consumers believe that retailers have been responsible for poor ingredients labelling as 78% of vegans stated that it’s the number one reason for accidentally consuming food restricted from their diet. In addition, 93% of vegans believe that the issues surrounding the clarity of food labelling can be solved through the use of technology.
Markus Stripf, CEO and co-founder of Spoon Guru, said: ‘With an increase of Brits adopting veganism, there is a clear need for much more inclusive food discovery.
‘The study found that in Scotland there is overwhelming support (81%) for the idea that retailers should go above and beyond to improve ingredient clarity regardless of the current regulations. The general feeling among UK consumers is for on-trade and off-trade retailers to take more accountability when it comes to food labelling.
‘The data revealed that across the UK over 71% believe that the use of technology will be a key enabler in solving the shortcomings surrounding food discovery and clarity on labelling.
‘While there are a lot of learnings and discussions to be had about how to make food discovery more accessible, the great news is that more and more restaurants and retailers are open to using technology as a platform to cater for people who have unique dietary requirements.’
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