A new project has been launched this month with Sainsbury’s as a key collaborator and in which Oxford University scientists will work with Sainsbury’s in a programme that will see supermarkets redesigned.
The funding for this joint effort is part of a £5 million Wellcome Trust programme called Our Planet, Our Health. Ideas include: placing vegetarian alternatives on the same shelves as meat products; giving vouchers and loyalty points to shoppers who choose vegetarian products; and providing recipes and leaflets that outline how shoppers can eat less meat. Sainsbury’s said that a range of its outlets from local to superstores and the online shopping service would be used in trials.
Judith Batchelar OBE, Brand Director at Sainsbury’s said: “Shoppers can now choose from a much greater variety of produce than they did in the past, especially when it comes to fruit and vegetables. That gives them a greater opportunity to make meat-free choices, which is what we’re seeing today. The question is, how can we take that further?”
“We can use the plinths at the end of store aisles for promotions of foods that inspire – spaghetti and lasagne sheets made from vegetables, for example. There are all sorts of things we can do but we need to do them on a scientific basis and that is what this project will provide.”