Woolworths Group is facing allegations from vegan advocacy groups that it has been reducing its range of plant-based grocery products in New Zealand.

However, the grocer has defended its range, saying part of the issue is that several major suppliers have discontinued New Zealand distribution in recent times.

The groups – The Vegan Society of Aotearoa, Vegan Australia, and Doctors for Nutrition – said shoppers have noticed a decline in vegan grocery options, particularly in alternative proteins, with some stores allegedly moving products to smaller, less visible aisle locations.

Representing a combined community of more than 130,000 consumers, the organisations have written to Woolworths’ leadership team, urging the retailer to stop discontinuing vegan lines and improve the visibility of plant-based products in stores.

“This collaboration came about as a direct response to the voices of our joint communities across Australasia, who have been noticing and complaining for months about the gradual and constant decline in their staple foods,” said Amanda Sorrenson, national coordinator, The Vegan Society of Aotearoa.

“Our communities are outraged and want solutions to this frustrating situation,” she added.

In the letter, they called on Woolworths to maintain and expand viable vegan product lines, improve product visibility across stores, and publicly commit to increasing the proportion of animal-free foods.

The groups also pointed to the company’s sustainability commitments, which include targets to reduce Scope 3 emissions and expand plant-based protein options for customers.

They argued that Woolworths has fallen short on both fronts, noting that publicly reported data shows its Scope 3 emissions have risen 17 per cent since 2022.

Woolworths has acknowledged the frustration felt by its vegan customers at not being able to purchase some of the products they want in its stores, and the company said in a statement that it is considering the Vegan Society’s concerns “at the highest levels of Woolworths Group”.

“While growth in the plant-based food category has slowed in recent times, Woolworths remains committed to offering a wide variety of fresh and frozen plant-based items to our customers.”

The company said several suppliers had left the New Zealand market during the past three years, which has limited the options we could offer.

However, it has been working with suppliers to bring in some new vegetarian and vegan-friendly products, which will appear on shelves nationwide later this year.