The United Kingdom has experienced a shift in meat consumption since 2007. Beef, veal, pork, and sheep meat were down in consumption as of 2022. Poultry consumption grew between 2007 and 2022 but will likely stagnate close to the current levels of 30.5 kilograms per person.

According to a survey carried out in the United Kingdom in June 2023, approximately ***** percent of respondents stated that they eat much less meat than before, as compared to six months ago. The share of respondents who stated that they eat much more meat than before was about the same.

The average volume per capita in the 'Meat Substitutes' segment of the food market in the United Kingdom was forecast to increase between 2025 and 2030 by in total 0.1 kilograms (+11.24 percent). This overall increase does not happen continuously, notably not in 2028. The average volume per capita is estimated to amount to 0.94 kilograms in 2030. Find other key market indicators concerning the average price per unit (PPU) and revenue. The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

In 2022/23, an average of ** grams of beef and veal was purchased per person per week for consumption at home in the United Kingdom. This figure has generally decreased over the considered period.

In 2019/20, approximately ** percent of survey respondents without children that were asked if they agreed with the statement "Compared to a year ago I eat less meat and have more vegetarian and vegan meals?" agreed with the statement. In comparison, only ** percent of respondents with **** children agreed.

This report analyses total meat consumption in the United Kingdom. The data is sourced from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in addition to estimates by IBISWorld. Figures represent average annual meat volume purchased and presumably consumed per person per week. Due to changes in the origins of data, as collated by Defra in its Family Food Survey, the figures are presented in either calendar and financial years within the time series, contingent on the source used - that is Defra used Adjusted National Food Survey data between 1990 through 2000 (i.e. calendar years for all years in this period); the Expenditure and Food Survey 2001-02 to 2007 (i.e. 2001 = 2001-02 and reverts back to calendar years in 2006); and the Living Costs and Food Survey from 2008 onwards (i.e. calendar years through 2015, whereby 2016 = 2015-16 and financial years thereafter).

In 2023, the leading type of cooked or cured meats consumed in Great Britain were ham slices with approximately ***** million consumers, chicken slices with over *** million consumers and corned beef slices with about *** million consumers.

Learn about the future outlook of the meat market in the UK, with a projected increase in consumption and market value over the next decade.

This statistic shows the average expenditure per person per week on carcass meat for household consumption in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2006 to 2022/2023. In 2022/2023, an average of **** British pounds (GBP) was spent per person per week on carcass meat.

Discover how the meat market in the UK is predicted to experience a steady increase in demand over the next decade, with market volume reaching 2.3M tons and market value projected to reach $12.8B by 2035.

In 2017, Pig meat was the most consumed red meat in the UK at approximately *** million tons, followed by beef and veal at around *** million tons. In comparison, lamb meat consumed totaled around *** thousand tons. Lamb meat has always struggled with maintaining a consistent consumption quality. For the planets climate this is probably a lucky coincidence, since dishes, such as the Welsh Cawl, containing sheep meat have an extremely high carbon footprint.

A question of price?

For pork and beef manufactured in the UK we can see an interesting price development. In the five years between 2013 and 2017, per kilogram prices for pig meat, salted, in brine, dried, or smoked and meat or offal of beef and veal manufactured in the UK were closely matched. However, retail prices of beef have consistently been higher than those of pork and can likely explain the differences in consumption volume seen above.

Waiting for the shift

Sales values achieved with beef are much higher than for other red meat types. While there is a shift towards flexitarianism and meatless lifestyles, these changes had not made a huge impact on revenues made with vegetarian products by 2016.

In December 2024, Generation Z was the generation with the highest share of responding adults who planned not to eat meat in the coming year in Great Britain (GB). Approximately ******* stated that they did not intend to eat meat in 2025. Another **** percent of Gen Z respondents stated that they were already meat-free. Reduction in the meat consumption of British consumers Recently, there have been noticeable changes in meat consumption by consumers in the United Kingdom (UK). Almost ********* of survey respondents stated that they eat less or much less meat, as compared to half a year ago. Moreover, an average of approximately ** percent of British respondents had recently purchased plant-based alternatives for the first time. This was higher than the share of respondents who had done so in the United States and Germany, which was on average around ** and ** percent, respectively. Not only are meat alternatives tried by many new consumers in the UK, but such products are also consumed across all generations, with relatively low variations. The share of consumers who eat meat substitutes in the UK by generation was ** percent among respondents from Generation Z. Veganism in Great Britain According to a recent survey in the UK, the share of vegans is approximately ***** percent. There is no discernable difference among the share of vegans when it comes to gender. Moreover, an average of about ** percent of adults in the UK follow no nutritional rules or diets. Among the different regions in GB, the percentage of vegans slightly varies. In London, the share of people who follow a vegan diet tends to be particularly high, whereas the share of vegans in the Midlands and the rest of the South tends to be relatively low. The main reason for being vegan in the UK is an ethical motivation. Almost ** percent of survey respondents stated that they do not consume animal products because they are concerned with the welfare of animals. Environmental reasons were also considered by about **** of respondents.

This dataset compromises 15 semi-structured interviews conducted in 2024 with UK-based consumers of a range of dietary practices (including self-defined vegans, vegetarians, pescetarians, flexitarians and meat-eaters) who regularly eat meat substitute products. These are plant-based food products that closely imitate meat (for example vegan or vegetarian burgers, sausages, mince). Most interviews were conducted online and were one-to-one interviews, although one is a household interview at the participants' request. The data was collected for a project called 'Meat Free Mondays', exploring the practices, perceptions and motivations of consumers of meat substitute products, with the following objectives: (1) To understand the practices, perceptions and motivations of regular consumers of meat substitute products and (2) To identify barriers to consuming plant-based substitute products and consider how the research findings might help encourage more sustainable consumption practices amongst a wider population.

Analyze the shift in global meat consumption and its implications for the meat industry with GlobalData's bespoke insights | Custom Solutions Read More

Discover the latest trends in the UK processed meat market and learn about the projected growth in both volume and value over the next decade.

In 2023, the share of meat substitute consumers was highest in Vietnam, with 24 percent of respondents stating that they consume meat substitutes regularly. The UK and Hong Kong followed in the ranking, with 21 percent of consumers from these markets stating that they regularly eat meat alternatives. The global meat substitute market The market revenue of plant-based meat worldwide is estimated to continuously increase during the next five years. By 2028, the market is forecast to be worth almost 16.8 billion U.S. dollars, which is more than triple the market value of 2018. The largest market for meat substitute products worldwide is China. With approximately 2.1 billion U.S. dollars’ worth of revenue, China generates far more revenue from meat substitute products than any other country in the world. The United States follows in second place with 1.4 billion U.S. dollars’ worth of revenue. Consumption of meat substitutes in the United Kingdom The volume of meat substitutes consumed in the United Kingdom peaked during the pandemic. Approximately 62,000 tons of meat substitutes are eaten by British consumers annually. However, that figure is forecast to only increase by less than one percent during the next five years. The leading meat substitute brand ranked by brand awareness in the United Kingdom is Quorn. Linda McCartney and Beyond Meat follow in second and third place, respectively. The most common reason for British consumers to eat plant-based meat is the perceived health benefits. The taste or texture of meat substitute products follows closely behind as a leading motivation to consume such products.

In 2017, over half (** percent) of UK respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that they did not need meat to have a good meal. Only ** percent disagreed or disagreed strongly with the statement. The remaining respondents of the survey neither agreed not disagreed.

Meat consumption in the UK

Despite ** percent of UK respondents that stated that they do not need meat in a meal to have a good meal, the share of vegetarians in the UK was only **** percent in 2016. UK meat consumption in April of 2019 amounted to *** million sheep, *** thousand cows, and *** thousand pigs. However, new vegan products accounted for ******* percent of food product launches in the UK.

European changes in meat consumption

A share of 27 percent of European citizens intend to eat less meat in the next five years. About forty percent of Europeans who wanted to eat less meat intend to eat less due to health reasons. In multiple European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, and Poland more than *** percent of the ***** age group of the population were vegetarians in 2017.