Greggs is making vegan versions of all of its most popular products

The vegan sausage roll could be the first of many meat-free options (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)The vegan sausage roll could be the first of many meat-free options (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
The vegan sausage roll could be the first of many meat-free options (Photo: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Greggs has announced plans to create vegan versions of all of its bestselling products, following the success of the company's plant-based sausage roll.

According to the bakery chain, customers can expect to see the likes of completely animal-free steak bakes, pies and doughnuts appearing in stores in the near future.

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Greggs launched its Quorn-filled sausage roll in January this year, and demand for the product was high. Sales increased by 14 per cent as a direct result of the roll-out, prompting the chain to consider similar moves with other popular products.

“We are working away to see if we can come up with a version of all our bestselling lines because people want vegan options,” Greggs’ chief executive, Roger Whiteside, told the LBC radio station.

Greggs' vegan sausage roll became a national talking point when it was unveiled in January (Photo: Greggs)

“If we can produce something that tastes just as good as the meat version, then that will sell very successfully. That’s what’s been shown with the vegan sausage roll.”

600,000 vegans in the UK

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It is currently unclear what Greggs will unveil first in terms of new plant-based foods, but the company has hinted that both vegan doughnuts and plant milks could be on the way.

Greggs sells about 1.5 million pork sausage rolls every week but is also using items like the vegan sausage roll to win more customers.

The Vegan Society says there are 600,000 vegans in the UK in 2018 compared with 150,000 in 2014.

Whiteside said the vegan sausage roll has helped transform Greggs’s image from “an old-fashioned bakery” into a “modern food-on-the-go brand”.

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Greggs said it has worked with plant-based food manufacturer Quorn to create a “bespoke” filling for its vegan sausage rolls. The blend has been “exclusively” made for the bakery (presumably because Quorn is not traditionally vegan) using mycoprotein, which is fermented fungus that grows in the ground.

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