Vegan and plant-based food retail has grown substantially — the UK has one of the highest concentrations of vegan consumers in the world. Online vegan food stores range from specialist health food shops to snack subscription boxes to direct-to-consumer brands. Migrating to Shopify suits the category, though food regulations around allergen labelling and health claims require careful attention.

Product categories

Vegan snacks: Protein bars, energy balls, crisps, popcorn, nuts and seeds.
Plant-based dairy alternatives: Oat milk, almond milk, vegan cheese, plant-based cream.
Vegan protein: Pea protein, hemp protein, mixed plant protein powder.
Vegan confectionery: Dark chocolate, vegan sweets, gummy alternatives.
Grains and pulses: Lentils, chickpeas, quinoa, brown rice, pasta.
Sauces and condiments: Vegan mayo, hot sauces, pestos, pastes.
Ready meals: Ambient or chilled vegan ready meals and soups.
Subscription boxes: Monthly curated vegan snack boxes.

Allergen labelling

Vegan food products are not allergen-free by default — common allergens appear frequently in plant-based foods:

Cereals containing gluten: wheat, oats, barley, rye — in many snacks, bars, and protein products
Tree nuts: almonds, cashews, hazelnuts — in nut butters, chocolate, milk alternatives
Peanuts: very common in snacks and protein products
Sesame: in hummus, tahini, some snack products
Soya: very common in plant-based products — tofu, edamame, many protein shakes
Sulphur dioxide/sulphites: in dried fruit, wine, some snacks
Full Natasha's Law compliance required: ingredients and highlighted allergens on all product pages

product.metafields.food.allergens = "Contains: Peanuts, Soya. May contain: Tree nuts, Sesame."
product.metafields.food.ingredients = "Dates, peanut butter (15%), cacao powder, vanilla..."
product.metafields.food.vegan = "true"
product.metafields.food.vegetarian = "true"
product.metafields.food.gluten_free = "false"
product.metafields.food.raw = "false"                        // raw food claim
product.metafields.food.organic = "false"

Vegan certification and labelling

Vegan claims on packaging must be accurate. The term "vegan" is not legally defined in UK law but carries consumer expectation of no animal products or by-products in either ingredients or manufacturing processes:

Vegan Society trademark: Recognised sunflower logo. Licensed use from The Vegan Society. Requires application and audit process.
Vegan Friendly: Alternative certification body.
Self-declared "vegan": Acceptable but leaves brand open to challenge — document due diligence with suppliers.
Cross-contamination: "May contain traces of milk" on a product labelled vegan is a grey area — some vegans accept this, some don't. Note clearly if produced in a facility handling non-vegan ingredients.

product.metafields.food.vegan_society_certified = "true"
product.metafields.food.vegan_society_trademark = "true"
product.metafields.food.produced_in_vegan_facility = "true"
product.metafields.food.cross_contamination_risk = "false"

Nutrition and health claims regulation

Health claims on food products in the UK are regulated under retained EU law (Regulation 1924/2006):

Only EU/UK-approved health claims are permitted. Examples: "Vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system" (approved) vs "Boosts immunity" (not approved and illegal)
Nutrition claims: "High in protein" requires product to contain at least 20% of energy from protein. "Source of fibre" requires at least 3g per 100g.
Calorie content claims: "Low calorie" has specific regulatory definitions — do not use loosely
When migrating, audit all existing product claims for regulatory compliance — a common source of Trading Standards issues

Vegan subscription boxes

Monthly curated vegan snack boxes are a popular subscription model:

Recharge or Shopify native subscriptions for recurring billing
Discovery box model: customers receive new products to try — good for brand discovery
Dietary preference filtering: offer sub-variants (gluten-free box, nut-free box, protein-focused box)
Gift subscriptions: 3-month or 6-month prepaid gift — popular for health-conscious gift givers

Health food store filtering

Customers in health food retail filter extensively by dietary properties:

Common filters: Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Organic, Sugar-free, Raw, Keto, Paleo
Use Shopify product tags for these properties — enables filtering in collections
Shopify theme faceted filtering: filter by multiple tags simultaneously (requires Online Store 2.0 theme)

Post-migration checklist for vegan food stores

Allergens: full 14-allergen labelling on all products (Natasha's Law); cross-contamination noted
Ingredients: full ingredients list on all food products
Vegan certification: Vegan Society trademark displayed if licensed
Health claims: all claims audited against EFSA/UK approved claims list
Nutrition information: per 100g and per portion (legally required for pre-packed food)
Product tags: dietary filters (vegan, gluten-free, organic, etc.) as Shopify tags
Subscriptions: monthly snack box app configured; pause and skip available

Migrating a vegan food store from WooCommerce to Shopify (2026)