NEWS COPY
Millions of Brits are eating less meat than they used to in a bid to get healthier, according to new research.
Seven in 10 have revamped their weekly diets to try and shift unwanted weight, and half try their luck with fad diets and trendy ingredients.
And two thirds of the public say getting healthier is more important to them than looking good.
A fifth of families have cut down on their meat intake, according to the poll of 2,000 Brits.
Peter Harrison, the Marketing Director of Quorn, who commissioned the research, said: "It’s great to see British tea tables becoming healthier.
"Particularly, it’s encouraging to see how the UK is taking a serious interest in eating sustainably.
"Making a small change such as enjoying a meat-free meal a couple of times a week can genuinely have a huge impact, and it’s fantastic to see more Brits adopting flexitarian eating habits."
The biggest change to the UK’s diet is a 43 per cent increase in consuming fruits and vegetables, with a third making a decision to cut down their sugar intake.
The research also found that Britain is a nation of social media “food porn” fanatics.
More than half of all social media users will post a picture of their food at least once a week, with a fifth posting up to three times each week.
More than a tenth also admit to buying foods specifically to post about them on social media.
At the time of writing, there have been 5.7 MILLION uses of the hashtag #avocado on Instagram, compared to 344 thousand for #brexit.
Food-fads are also driving change in the kitchen, with half of respondents trying trendy ingredients like coconut oil and “courgetti.”
However, only one in 10 think their experiments with trendy new ingredients will last as long as next year.
Peter Harrison said: "It is now recognised on a global scale that we cannot meet current demand for food production.
"Recent research from the WWF has revealed that if we continue to eat this much meat, we’ll need three planets to sustain us.
"Quorn is passionate about providing sustainable nutrition that helps people make great tasting meals with products that leave a much smaller footprint on the planet."
ENDS