The data reveals 68% of 18-24 year olds either follow or are interested in following a plant-based diet.

However, loyal vegans are still relatively niche, with only 2% of British grocery shoppers claiming to follow a vegan diet all of the time.

The research reveals an opportunity for retailers to inspire shoppers with vegan recipes, with 22% of grocery shoppers interested in experimenting with different vegan recipes, while 16% of consumers interested in baking vegan desserts and cakes.

echo do_shortcode('[inread_parallax slot="DFP-TR-InRead2" width="300"]'); ?

In addition, the figures show that 22% of shoppers would like more recipe ideas for vegan meals in supermarkets and 22% would like a greater choice of more convenient vegan options, such as ready meals.

Vanessa Henry, shopper insight manager at IGD, said: “We are seeing an increasing number of people adopting a more flexible approach to their diets, whether it’s just for one meal or one day a week, shoppers are increasingly choosing a vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian diet. This is for a variety of reasons; the aspiration to be healthier, to adopt more ethical credentials and also to limit the impact on the environment. Some shoppers also claim it helps them reduce their overall food bill.

“This suggests plant-based products being launched on the market now won’t just be confined to the 2% of shoppers who identify more regularly with veganism. They will appeal to a much broader group of shoppers.

“From our data we can see that younger shoppers are more likely to follow or consider a plant-based diet, which is no surprise given they are the most socially engaged group. With the rise in celebrities and health influencers sharing recipes and tips online, as well as the growing popularity of movements such as Veganuary and meat-free Mondays, the interest from this group suggests the trend could continue to grow as plant-based products become more mainstream.”