Since the year ending February 2002, growth in the vegetarian foods market has declined and fell to just 1.3% in the year ending January 2009. Vegetarian foods have moved from being a niche sector earlier on and benefiting from the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and foot-and-mouth crises, to becoming a mature and mainstream sector.

This change has been recognised by manufacturers, which have achieved some success through no longer promoting their products just as for vegetarians, but principally as suitable for vegetarians and meat free. This addresses the challenge of the static (or even declining) number of true vegetarians in the UK and attract meat reducers and those generally seeking alternatives to meat.

Government initiatives to increase awareness of healthy eating by encouraging the consumption of five portions of fruit and vegetables per day should support the vegetarian foods market, and official statistics show a reduction in meat eating (although this has currently stabilised), which is likely in part to be a result of health scares. Figures also show a growth in the consumption of fruit and some vegetables. Vegetarian foods are claimed to be lower in saturated fat and to contain higher levels of dietary fibre, minerals and vitamins.

The current economic recession has reportedly led to increased sales of frozen foods, owing to their perceived value for money compared with chilled, which has impacted on the vegetarian foods market. Recently, there has been greater growth in the frozen vegetarian foods segment than in chilled — a reverse of the historical situation. However, this is not predicted to carry on into the future: Key Note forecasts that, towards 2013, the growth rate will increase for chilled foods and decline in frozen foods. The chilled segment will retain a 70% to 75% value share of the total market.

The growth in the frozen segment has supported relaunches and promotions by brand owners, with brands being far more important here than in chilled foods, where own label is dominant. This activity has followed on from Premier Foods' acquisitions of Marlow Foods (the manufacturer of the major Quorn vegetarian range) and Cauldron Foods, and Hain Celestial's acquisitions of the frozen and chilled foods business of Heinz (including the Linda McCartney brand) and Haldane Foods. Furthermore, relaunches of Birds Eye products have followed from its acquisition by the private-equity company Permira, while Northern Foods has been promoting its Grassington's brand products from Dalepak.

The various sub-segments within the chilled vegetarian foods market — such as ready meals, pastry products, potato-based accompaniments, meal centres, delicatessen items, sausages/grills/burgers and ingredients — have shown a mixture of growth and decline in the past 3 years. However, most of the sub-segments within the frozen sector have shown growth.

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