Recent research findings published by Linda McCartney Foods reveals parental attitudes towards vegetarian school catering are on the rise, with 44% championing more meat-free menus.
The study, based on a survey of 2,000 parents of school-aged children (4-16) conducted by Censuswide in the United Kingdom, found that three in four (73%) parents are likely to encourage their children to eat vegetarian meals at school, provided the quality is high. Furthermore, more than a quarter (28%) want their kids to eat meat-free at least twice a week.
Parents are primarily focused on quality and nutrition when it comes to their children’s school meals. The data reflects a clear hierarchy of needs: nutritional value (58%), taste and appeal (57%), variety (52%) and use of quality ingredients (49%). In a significant shift, only 7% of parents now consider it a priority for a meal to contain meat.
While the research found that 63% of parents are satisfied with the overall quality of school meals, 24% are still concerned about the low quality of ingredients when it comes to vegetarian options.
The role of brand trust is increasingly central to menu development in schools. Almost two thirds (63%) of parents say they would have greater confidence in the quality of vegetarian school meals if they featured ingredients from a trusted brand, with a quarter (24%) stating they would be much more confident in the offering.
Beyond higher quality, 80% of parents say it is important that vegetarian school meals are offered in familiar formats children already enjoy.
Rebecca Fairbairn, Marketing and Strategy Director at Linda McCartney Foods, stated: “The growing interest in plant-based diets presents an opportunity for school caterers. However, for meat-free options to succeed, children need to genuinely enjoy them and parents need to be confident that they’re made with tasty, nutritional and high quality ingredients. By providing familiar formats from trusted heritage brands like Linda McCartney Foods, schools can remove barriers to entry and deliver inclusive menus that parents and students fully support.”
Linda McCartney Foods offers a wide variety of frozen products, including recently launched high-protein Chicken Style Dippers (pictured above) and Gluten Free Vegemince, produced under license by Thorpe Park, Leeds-based Hain Celestial UK.
