Market proves too tough for vegan mince and burger firm

A vegan food company has stopped trading and let its staff go after it was unable to survive in the tough meat-free market.

Meatless Farm made plant-based alternatives to meat and was stocked in major UK supermarkets, but made its 50-strong workforce redundant on Friday.

In 2021 at its peak, it sold over £11m worth of its plant-based mince, burgers and chicken breasts.

The company's website says it is "currently unavailable".

Insolvency firm Kroll is advising the firm on its options.

Commercial director Tim Offer said on his Linkedin profile: "Sadly, my time at Meatless Farm has come to an end... the business has unfortunately made all the teams redundant."

His comments were echoed by the company's interim finance executive John Loughrey who said he and other colleagues were looking for their "next assignment".

The firm was established in 2016 by Danish entrepreneur Morten Toft Bech, who chose Leeds rather than London as its base.

"When you're setting up a business, don't be obsessed with setting it up in your country's capital," he told the BBC last year.

"[In the north of England] there's a huge area with food manufacturers and food businesses."

Its demise comes after several plant-based rivals suffered a slump in sales.

Sausage producer Heck, also based in Yorkshire, reduced its vegan range citing lack of consumer demand.

Competitor Beyond Meat blamed challenges around pricing, and the taste and perception of their products' health benefits, for a similar drop in sales.

In March industry giant Nestle said its Garden Gourmet plant-based vegan brand would no longer be sold in UK shops, less than two years after it first appeared on shelves.

Research from NielsenIQ suggests supermarket shoppers have cut back on meat-replacement products in general with sales down by £37.3m in the year to September 2022.

The Vegan Society previously told the BBC the cost-of-living crisis was having a "big impact" on what people spent their money on in the supermarket aisles.