UK Diets: How to Make Vending Adaptions to Your Requirements

Diets – simply the food we eat, but also now an adaptable routine aspect that is evolving due to health and comfort. Unhealthy diets account for 13% of all deaths in the UK; evidently, diet is important. Resultantly, UK diets that work towards a healthier lifestyle have increased dramatically in recent years.

Nationwide, UK diets have changed for the better or the worse across multiple areas. Here’s all the information you need to stay aware and up to date. Gain top tips to adapt vending to tailor to every UK dietary requirement…

Over the past 50 years, milk and dairy product consumption has decreased significantly, dropping from being a quarter of our food consumption to now less than 17%. Not only has total consumption of ‘real’ milk and dairy products declined, but there have also been mass changes to how we consume these products across UK diets…

• Shifting to Lower-fat Milk drinks: 50 years ago, full-fat milk dominated UK diets, being 90% of all milk and dairy products, whereas now skimmed or semi-skimmed milk has taken over our fridges and drinks.
• Rising Yoghurt consumption: In 50 years, yoghurt product consumption has increased by over 5.7 times. Now, the yoghurt has become a national sensation! There are flavour and type choices for days, as well as trendy yoghurt bowl recipes storming the internet.
• Resurgence of Full-fat Dairy Products: Why are people taking a U-turn on dairy choice? A – recent scientific findings state that full-fat dairy options can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. B – they keep you fuller for longer and help absorb nutrients.
• Shift Towards Plant-Based Milk Alternatives: The UK milk alternative market is the second largest in Europe. People are incorporating this plant-based option due to health reasons, such as dairy allergies and intolerances, to manage or prevent some health issues, or for vegan and environmental factors. Packing an extra health kick, these are incorporated in UK diets to gain: antioxidant benefits found in wholegrain milk options such as oats, vitamins from nut options to lower calories in coconut choices and more.

Vending adaptations…

• In many modern hot drinks machines, separate canisters and routes for non-dairy milks are now available.
• Using lower-fat milks in commercial vending machines.
• Vegan milk products and drinks are available on the vending machines’ shelves.
• More milk-free products and snack types are being sold.
• Fresh food items that contain yoghurt products are being sold and used as ingredients in meals stocked.

Overall, in the past 50 years, approximately 20% less meat has been consumed in UK diets.

Good to know UK diets involve labels such as vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, flexitarian, plant-based and the more recently famed carnivore animal-based diet. Additionally, multiculturalism means that there is more of a need for Halal and Kosher options to allow for a diverse and inclusive environment, workplace and community.

But is meat consumption having a mass exodus or not? What vending adaptations are occurring to adapt to these UK diet types and changes? The bigger picture…

• A decrease in Beef Consumption: Over the last 50 years, cow and calf meat consumption has roughly halved. However, snack products such as jerky have gained popularity and are widely available in vending solutions. Additionally, the meat flavour profile now stocks our shelves with new crisp meat flavour varieties.
• More Chicken: Perhaps, meat is not on the decrease – chicken consumption has over-doubled and is seen on most menus from lemon and lime seasoning to spicy chicken fajitas. Look into our fresh food options to find what you could stack your vending machines and office catering
• Rise in veganism and being vegetarian: With a steep increase in veganism in the UK, between 2014 and 2019, the number of vegan UK diets quadrupled; this category is now worth around 3% of UK diets. Moreover, in surveys, around 50% of Brits are limiting meat or avoiding it completely. This is a result of environmental and ethical issues being a focus around UK diets, especially in the younger generation.
• Increased Consumption of Plant-Based Proteins: To adapt to UK diets, plant-based proteins are sold and used more. Across the nation, people are opting to consume these products, with the Plant Protein UK Market size estimated at 340 million USD. See what vegan products you can access for inclusive office catering from our wholesale and food department and get yourself a Vegan Protein bar or non-meat meal.

With on-the-go modern lifestyles, hectic work schedules, and the need for simplicity where possible, UK diets tend to be easy-focused. Resultantly, the takeaway food market and delivery service have skyrocketed. However, this is rarely a healthy choice, both physically and financially. Why would you not opt for a quick and available choice, but can’t you opt for a more sustainable choice?

Vending, vending, vending – the solution to get your takeaway treat with a fresh twist for time efficiency with ready-to-go meals. Smart fridge vending, self-service office catering, automated fresh fruit and vegetable deliveries, smart canteen systems and vending solutions can now be easy and nutritional.

Want to know the details of what you are eating? Smart vending now provides technology that gives you access to full nutritional information and ingredients at the click of a button. Easy and diet-inclusive, right?

Sadly, the UK has the unhealthiest eating habits: having the 5^th highest rates in Europe of obesity, and increasingly rising levels of eating disorders (with an estimated 1.25+ million UK sufferers already).

Thus, concerns for children are prevalent. Government data released showed that almost 36% of year 6 children are obese, and 5.5% are severely obese. These rates have not significantly changed since prior surveys, causing extra concern as the matter is not improving.

Hence, there is a concern about junk food consumption among children and the younger generation to try and stop the risk of such health issues. Vending machines can easily adapt to this, and healthy vending machines matter and are now widely accessible.

Additionally, the prevalence of being underweight is increasing and getting worse among children. The percentage of being underweight is 2% among year 6 children and is increasing nationally. The ease of a vending machine can help improve these UK diet concerns by being accessible, quick, and affordable.

See how you can provide fruit and fresh vegetables, healthy commercial vending machines and fresh consumables to your school, public area, and venues. Move to better nutrition, from water to all things food for healthier UK diets.

As dissected above, UK diets are evolving with a plethora of variety. With these mass trends, new markets are booming, especially ones with vegan options.

More than ever, food and diet seem to be topics taking up more interest and resources. To this commercial vending, fresh food consumables and smart fridge solutions adapt and provide the solutions to keep building a nourished nation. Use this guide on UK diets to focus workplace catering and easy on-the-go access to the needs of UK diets.