For this year's holiday season, there will be a new Christmas cheeseboard alternative launching with four plant-based cheeses. The Ilchester Vegan Festive Selection contains three brand-new vegan cheese products alongside the multi-award-winning Applewood Vegan. Inside the vegan cheeseboard, there's the Ilchester Melting Mature Cheddar Vegan, a Blue Vegan Cheese Alternative with veins of blue spirulina running through it and a Mexicana Vegan Spicy Cheese alternative.
As Lisa Harrison, Senior Brand Manager for the Ilchester Vegan Festive Selection, told Vegan Food & Living, "the number of vegans in the UK are soaring—the Vegan Society says the number of vegans in the UK has quadrupled between 2006 and 2018." Although the alternative board has the potential to appeal to vegans specifically, it will also serve flexitarians who are open to exploring alternatives.
Festive Cheeseboard Alternatives
The Vegan Festive Selection Reinvents the Christmas Cheeseboard
Trend Themes
1. Plant-based Cheese Trend - The rise of plant-based diets and increasing demand for vegan options presents an opportunity for companies to innovate within the cheese industry by developing new, flavorful plant-based cheese alternatives.
2. Flexitarian Trend - As more consumers adopt a flexitarian diet and reduce their meat consumption, companies can capitalize on this trend by creating cheese options that cater to both vegans and flexitarians.
3. Holiday-season Cheeseboard Trend - The holiday season presents an opportunity for companies to showcase new and unique cheeseboard options that cater to a variety of dietary restrictions and preferences.
Industry Implications
1. Vegan Cheese Industry - As the demand for plant-based options increases, companies within the vegan cheese industry can continue to innovate and expand their product offerings to cater to a growing market.
2. Dairy Industry - The rise of plant-based cheese alternatives presents a potential threat to traditional dairy cheese companies who may need to pivot and innovate in order to meet changing consumer preferences.
3. Holiday Food Industry - Businesses within the holiday food industry can capitalize on consumer interest in festive cheeseboard alternatives by introducing unique and innovative options to the market.