It is estimated that 42 per cent of Australians ate less meat or none at all in 2019, according to research by Statista.

Of those, 10 per cent identified themselves as vegan or vegetarian, 12 per cent as meat reducer, and 20 per cent as flexitarian.

Vegan food think tank, Food Frontier, found Australians spent $185 million on plant-based meats in 2020, a 46 per cent increase on the previous year.

Globally estimates suggest the plant-based food market could reach US$77.8 billion in 2025.

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Vegan Australia director Greg McFarlane said all evidence suggests that there's a good business case for food operators to embrace plant-based options.

He said that demand for plant-based options is growing rapidly and points to the rise in products at Woolworths, which have gone up 50 per cent each year for the last four years, as proof of the demand.

"Having really nice vegetable/grain options appeals to not just vegans, but people interested in their health or the environment," he said.

"A lot of vegan foods are also acceptable to other groups, such as kosher and halal. So you're getting a lot of bang for the buck by appealing to lots of different groups. It should be beneficial to a business."

Major food brands such as Cadbury, Domino's and Hungry Jack's all offer vegan products, but outside of fast food chains, local options are slim.

Are local businesses missing out on the veggie dollar by not fully embracing plant-based options? Wagga has only one dedicated vegan food offering, Lucid Coffee on Gurwood Street.

Local vegan Janine Middlemost said most places only offer a token "lazy" option and don't consider how vegan food tastes.

"We have one fine dining option in my opinion, The Charles, which offers a vegan degustation and I rate it," she said.

"Most non-vegan places locally haven't thought about how the food tastes, I've ordered stuff which is just gross tasting."

Fellow vegan Bianca Harman said there are far too few options for vegans who want to eat out in restaurants.

She thinks that some people may be reticent to try plant-based foods because the bad press that vegans get, but said vegan food done well is creative and full of flavour and people should give it a chance.

"I've found the best way to get people interested in becoming vegan is to show them the food," she said.

Lucid coffee owner Emma Moss grew up on a cattle farm in Adelong, and she started her business out of frustration at the lack of vegan options outside of the large fast foods chains here in Wagga.

"It's annoying though, you're forced to support franchises. And as a small business owner I don't want to support franchises," she said. "I'm one of those entrepreneurs who when they see a need they have to fill it."

Miss Moss started out with a small coffee van four years ago as a way to test the local appetite for vegan fare, and trade has grown steadily.

"[Wagga] was ready, it just needed someone to be passionate enough to keep pursuing it over time," she said. "When I first started, it definitely wasn't as popular as it is now."

She said that her custom is not confined to fully-fledged vegans, but a lot of people who simply want to cut down on their meat consumption.

Top Wagga veggie/plant-based eats

Lucid gets a lot of travelling trade as one of the only plant-based places between Sydney and Melbourne.

Lincoln and Amy Woo were, until recently, the owners of Fitz Cafe and they said having plant-based options helped their business grow substantially.

They opened in 2016 and they said it was consumer demand which gave them the impetus to have a vegan-friendly menu.

"When we first started out there was none of that in Wagga," Mrs Woo said.

Fitz Cafe features on the Happy Cow website, which allows users to search for vegan and vegetarian friendly options in their area, which also drove business, they said.

"There was really a market for it," said Mr Woo. "We had a lot of people travelling through [Wagga] that would search for vegan, or vegetarian or gluten free cafes who would call in."

Mrs Woo, who is vegetarian, struggled for food options in town and created the food she liked to eat.

"I think it was a big drawing point for us, it helped our business grow," she said.

"It sets us apart from the rest," said Mr Woo. As the demand for plant based options continues to grow, the Woos and Miss Moss believe it's only a matter of time before more Wagga businesses get on board with the meat-free revolution.

"I think Wagga is so ready for it, I think the Riverina is ready for it. Especially with COVID, you've got people migrating from the cities to these rural towns," said Miss Moss.

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