Pre-cooked plant-based frozen meals are being praised as a growing trend across the world following the release of the Lausanne Index Prize winners. The Lausanne Index Prize claims that frozen foods are no longer considered unhealthy, now that plant-based options are available. Thanks to ready meals, specifically vegan ready meals, the frozen food market is expected to grow by $94.99 billion from 2021 to 2025 in a report from Technavio, demonstrating a consumer shift.

Vegan ready meals are easily stored, with relatively long shelf-life. They represent an option for simple meals suitable for people with busy lives. Moreover, there are now meat-free alternatives for frozen items such as sausages, burgers and complete meals. They can help prevent food waste, because they are only cooked when needed.

As customers are turning to the frozen foods options, large companies are now offering more plant-based creations. Multiple ice cream brands now include vegan lines, including Magnum and Ben & Jerry’s. Goodfellas and Chicago Town have been responsive to calls for plant-based pizza and multiple frozen fast-food alternatives have hit the freezer aisles.

Deliveries for vegan meals, not just frozen ones, are also seeing a surge and looking to expand as demand grows.  

Last year San Francisco startup Thistle celebrated a $10.3 million payday after closing a Series B Fundraising round. The company claimed to be a healthy and tech-focused solution to stay-at-home working. Funding was allocated to the development of a virtual consultation service with an in-house nutritionist. This would allow for personalised meal choices optimised according to goals.

Last week, Scratch Kitchen revealed that it is looking to bridge the gap between healthy and sustainable food that is convenient to boot. The company is making moves to become carbon neutral, while supplying plant-based nutrition to people via delivery or takeaway options.