Does Veganism Now Cost More?

On a visit to my local Tesco Express the other day, I found myself hunting for something for that night’s supper.

Naturally, I wandered over to the meat section looking for a decent bit of protein. I also happened to have a lovely bottle of Trivento red wine waiting for me at home; other brands are, of course, available! 🍷

My eye landed on a pack of two beef burgers from a very well-known Scottish brand. Perfect.  But just as I was about to drop them into my basket, another pack caught my attention.

Two burgers. Similar packaging. Similar size. Except these ones weren’t actually burgers in the traditional sense.

They were meat-free.

Now, before the vegan police start banging on the door at TPS HQ, I have absolutely nothing against anyone choosing not to eat meat. Each to their own. If you prefer plants to pork chops, that’s entirely your business. But something else caught my eye.

The meat-free burgers were considerably MORE EXPENSIVE than the actual beef burgers.

Hold on a minute… Let me get this straight.

We’ve raised the cattle, fed them, housed them, transported them, processed the beef, manufactured the burgers, packed them and delivered them to the supermarket…

…and somehow the burger without the cow costs more?

Being an old butcher, I couldn’t resist turning the packet over to see what was actually in my more expensive meatless alternative. And that’s where things became even more interesting.

The ingredient declaration on the plant-based burger was considerably longer and more complicated than I expected. By comparison, the traditional beef burger seemed positively straightforward. Which raises an interesting question.

Are vegans actually getting value for money?

For years we’ve heard about the rising cost of producing meat.

Farmers face increasing costs for feed, energy, labour, transport, animal welfare, processing and regulation. Those costs inevitably work their way through the supply chain and eventually reach the supermarket shelf.

You might therefore assume that removing the expensive animal from the equation would result in a cheaper burger. Apparently not.

Of course, there’s more to manufacturing a plant-based burger than simply squashing a few peas together and hoping nobody notices.

Developing products that recreate the texture, flavour, appearance and cooking characteristics of meat requires considerable food technology, processing and manufacturing — and all of that costs money.

So perhaps we’re looking at this the wrong way.

Maybe the humble beef burger isn’t expensive after all. Maybe it’s actually remarkably good value.

And there is a wider point here for our industry. Consumers are increasingly looking at value, not simply price.

Whether you’re selling sausages, burgers, pies, sauces, marinades or something completely plant-based, customers ultimately have to believe that what they’re buying is worth the money.

As for me?

I put the beef burgers in my basket, headed home and opened the Trivento.

The vegan burger was left peacefully grazing on the supermarket shelf.

And before anyone sends an angry email… ( I received an email in the past from a purple-haired  nose pierced lunatic)  I’m only having a bit of fun.

Although if plant-based burgers keep getting more expensive, perhaps the vegans really will have to go back to the carrot and celery sticks. Just don’t tell them how much Tesco charges for those nowadays.