Heather Mills, the UK-based vegan entrepreneur and founder of VBites, has issued a rallying cry to the plant-based sector following the collapse of Allplants, a UK based vegan meal delivery company. Allplants, one of the first UK brands to achieve B Corp certification, entered administration last week, sending shockwaves through the vegan community.
Talking via social media, Heather Mills (shown left) openly expressed her thoughts about the current situation facing vegan/plant-based brands, “I was devastated to hear that allplants have entered administration. My thoughts are with Jonathan Petrides and his team. They were one of the first certified B Corps in the UK and they have helped to put Vegan innovation on the map… They deserve better but this is the reality that many vegan businesses face.”
The news comes just days after The Vegan Society, celebrating its 80th anniversary, reported record numbers of vegans in the UK, with over two million people now following a plant-based diet. However, Heather Mills warns the sector is facing unprecedented challenges, citing rising costs and increased competition from larger corporations entering and then exiting the vegan space.
“Sky-high food procurement costs are killing vegan businesses,” Heather Mills wrote, adding the industry needs to adopt collaborative solutions. “How can we come together to pool resources and create a coalition of the willing to mitigate these spiraling costs? To work closer with suppliers as a collective, explore cooperative distribution models and share transportation, packaging, and storage costs… There must be a way.”
Allplants, whilst still operating for the moment, looks set to close unless the administrators can find a buyer, which under the current climate looks doubtful.
Heather Mills also criticised the short-term approach of large brands, which she says undermines independent businesses. “This short-termism does untold damage to smaller vegan businesses. The economies of scale of these big brands are squeezing the life out of smaller, family-owned independent businesses. It has to stop.” Reports coming put of the UK confirm Unilever is putting The Vegetarian Butcher on the chopping block and is looking for a buyer of either the business or the brand. Unilever acquired The Vegetarian Butcher in December, 2018, ostensibly to build a plant-based products beach head.
Despite the challenges, Heather Mills remains optimistic about the sector’s potential to drive sustainable change. She called for greater accessibility and investment in vegan businesses, saying “It’s imperative we create the conditions for vegan brands to not just survive but thrive.”
For those affected by Allplants' closure, Heather Mills extended an olive branch: “If you’ve been affected by these job cuts, we are hiring, so please contact us".
Her message is clear - collaboration, innovation, and unity are key to ensuring the future of veganism and plant-based remains bouyant..
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