Advocacy groups urge Woolworths to restore plant-based product ranges

Three Australasian advocacy groups have pressed Woolworths Group to reverse a clear retreat in plant-based retail, warning that products are being discontinued, squeezed into smaller ranges and pushed into less visible shelf positions. The Vegan Society of Aotearoa New Zealand, Vegan Australia and Doctors For Nutrition said the changes are frustrating shoppers who expect the supermarket to back a category it has publicly tied to sustainability and climate goals.

The groups said they represent a combined community of more than 130,000 engaged supporters across Australia and New Zealand. In their letter, they asked Woolworths to maintain and expand viable vegan product lines, give animal-free foods equal visibility and integrated placement across mainstream categories, and publicly commit to raising their prominence as part of its corporate responsibility strategy.

Their case goes beyond ethics and lands squarely on retail mechanics. Supermarkets do not just reflect demand; they shape it. When plant-based products are moved to smaller bays or tucked away from the main protein aisle, shoppers lose the cues that drive trial, repeat purchase and category education. In practice, shelf space becomes the first casualty of a reset.

Woolworths New Zealand’s Sustainability Plan 2025 says the company wants to expand its range of plant proteins so customers have a choice, while Woolworths Group says its broader plan aims to cut Scope 3 emissions by 19% by 2030 against a 2015 baseline. Woolworths New Zealand also says it has a team of more than 20,000 Kiwis and that half of its emissions come from agriculture, a detail that makes protein assortment more than a merchandising question. The company has said its Sustainability Plan 2025 is reviewed and adjusted annually as part of its planning cycle, and Woolworths Group’s 2025 sustainability reporting covers operations in Australia and New Zealand across the five-year F21 to F25 period before a new strategy begins in F26.

The pressure comes as shoppers and suppliers are already reading mixed signals in the aisle. On October 28, 2025, Nine reported that Woolworths said customer demand for plant-based protein products had softened, while Coles had refined its plant-based meat alternatives over the previous two years to better match demand. Separately, Supermarket News reported that Woolworths had not yet responded to the letter.

For plant protein brands, this is the real retail reality check: a category can be publicly defended in a sustainability plan and quietly diminished on shelf at the same time. Woolworths remains a powerful signal to suppliers and shoppers across Australia and New Zealand, and the way it chooses to merchandise plant-based protein will help decide whether the category is being rebuilt for long-term scale or simply pared back after overexpansion.