Deliveroo reports 'huge increase in demand' for plant-based food as Veganuary 2022 kicks off

Coming at the start of this year's Veganuary campaign, which encourages people to follow an exclusively plant-based lifestyle for the month of January, Deliveroo says that more restaurants than ever have introduced plant-based menus and dishes to their regular offering and there are now more than 15,000 plant-based and vegan friendly restaurants available on its platform across the UK.

According to the food-delivery giant, this first week of January 2021 has seen a 153% rise in searches for ‘vegan’ food on its app compared to the month before, a remarkably identical stat to that provided by the group last year​.

“Earlier this year we asked the UK what they would like to see more of on delivery platforms, and nearly half of the survey respondents (48.5%) said they were keen to see more meat-free options," says Elena Devis, vegan category lead at Deliveroo.

"The UK’s appetite for vegan food is one that just seems to be getting bigger and bigger every year which is why we're proud to offer such an incredible range of plant-based dishes available across restaurant menus.

"Vegan and plant-based food is a growth area we are really excited by at Deliveroo so we’re super happy to be supporting Veganuary again this year.”

The arrival of Veganuary has seen many operators introduce new plant-based dishes to their menu. They include burrito chain Tortilla, which has added a 'chilli no carne' available with plant-based Applewood smoked cheese to its menu; Honest Burger, which has launched a new teriyaki plant burger for January; and Wagamama, which has begun offering a Japanese-inspired vegan fish and chips dish that's served on traditional newspaper.

Burger King UK, meanwhile, has today (5 January) launched its vegan nuggets, which are made from soy and plant proteins, nationwide in its restaurants and via delivery; and Shake Shack’s bespoke plant-based burger created in collaboration with chef Neil Rankin has now gone permanent at all of the group's UK restaurants.

According to Deliveroo, the cities with the most vegan orders (as a proportion of their total orders) this year in order are: Brighton, Bristol, Coventry, Leeds, Manchester, York, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Norwich and London.

"We’re really excited to be working with Deliveroo again this Veganuary," says Toni Vernelli, international head of communications and marketing at Veganuary.

"Their dedication to improving the visibility and availability of vegan options on their platform is making it much easier for people who want to adopt a more climate-friendly diet – and that number is growing every year.”