A qualitative investigation on Indian vegan food service providers' perspective of trends, challenges and the future of vegan consumption

Abstract

Veganism is the practice of abstaining from food products derived, either entirely or partially, from animals. This qualitative exploratory study aimed to explore the perspectives of Indian vegan food service providers on their motives, vegan consumption trends, challenges, and the future of vegan consumption in India through the lenses of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation theories and sense-making theory. Of the 65 vegan-specific restaurants contacted across India, thirteen service providers gave their consent to participate in the survey. Data were collected through telephone interviews. A content analysis approach was used to analyse the interview transcripts. The results indicate that vegan food service providers face both operational and market-related challenges. COVID-19 pandemic has had both positive and negative impacts on vegan food services. Despite various challenges, suppliers perceive that the demand for vegan food services will progress in India due to increasing interest in veganism by consumers from tier two and three cities, as well as consumers’ increased interest in health and wellbeing. The results of this study have significant implications for vegan food service providers, researchers, and marketers.