Marks & Spencer adds new vegetarian range to food offering

Marks & Spencer has launched a new vegetarian range as demand from customers grows.

The ‘Veggie’ range, which features 14 vegetarian items including individual meals, side dishes and sharing centrepieces, is now available in stores.

The new products, such as roasted butternut risotto and roasted mushroom ravioli, feature a green ‘Veggie’ label with the “freshly prepared” strapline.

“Many vegetarians, myself included, know all too well how it feels to look at a restaurant menu or supermarket shelves and only see a handful of meat-free options and rarely anything that celebrates vegetables,” said M&S director of marketing & hospitality Sharry Cramond.

“Our brand new Veggie range more than meets that need and is the perfect solution for this overlooked group of foodies who want delicious, modern dishes packed with vegetables.”

The grocer said the move was in response to a growth in popularity of its plant-based range, Plant Kitchen, which originally rolled out in 2019 and now boasts more than 200 vegan-friendly products.

Plant-based sales were up 23% year on year in 2021/2022 compared with the previous financial year, M&S added.

It has also been encouraging customers to opt for more plant-based protein options via its ongoing Sparking Change challenge, which kicked off earlier this year.