Waitrose is launching a new ‘plant varieties’ on-pack logo which looks to make it easier for customers to eat the recommended 30 plants a week.

According to the upmarket retailer, the logo represents a first for supermarket own-label products in the UK. The logo will be appearing on over 50 new products including fresh soups, snacks and cereals in January, and added to more items throughout the year.

Waitrose aims to more easily highlight the number of plant varieties in each product, with Vietnamese Style Pancakes with a Lime and Chilli Dip including 11 plant varieties, for example.

It follows new research by Waitrose which found that almost half (46%) of consumers are already trying to eat, or are interested in eating 30 different plants a week.

In the survey, 87% said that having the number of plant varieties on labels would help them actively try to eat the recommended number of plants each week.

Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning

Inclusions such as herbs, spices and 70% dark chocolate also count as plants, with the new logo looking to highlight that introducing more plants into your diet is not as difficult as you might think.

Waitrose director of own brand Maddy Wilson said: “When you’re a food lover, you want to make every meal one to remember but are still conscious about making good choices.

“Adding the plant varieties logo to our products takes the brain power away from adding variety to your diet and eating well and brings the focus back to delicious meals – which we know is so important for our customers.”

The 30 plants a week guidance has been supported by experts such as ZOE and proven to increase gut microbiome and improve gut performance.

The introduction of the plant varieties logo and guidance comes after Waitrose committed to helping customers eat more plants. The grocer has also committed to deliver a 25% increase in the amount of fibre sold from key categories by 2030.