VICTORIA -- From toilet paper to flour, for more than a year many items have been in demand during the pandemic, and the switch to plant-based foods may be the next trend.

Empty shelves in the tofu aisle of the local grocery store are evidence that people are looking to include meatless products in their diet. A Victoria-based tofu producer has increased its production to meet the demand for the versatile protein substitute.

“We’ve seen sales increase a lot over the past year,” said Green Cuisine owner Andy Cunningham. “We’e doubled our production basically and some weeks it’s even more than that. Some weeks we’ve tripled our capacity.”

With more people cooking at home due to the pandemic, some shoppers like the no-fat flexibility of tofu. They find the way the product can be made into all kinds of flavours and textures appealing.

Tofu is just one of the meatless products homebound chefs are considering during the pandemic. Meatless burgers and roasts are also in hot demand.

“It was already on a major trend before but now it is the number one trending area in all food,” said The Very Good Butchers general manager and chef Scott Doust. “At first people were thinking, ‘You’re at home not spending money, let’s eat big, live big,’ and I think after a while people got tired of it.”

Doust says he has seen a sharp rise in the number of people seeking a meatless alternative at the Victoria Market shop. He says they have a host of products from meatless roasts and sausages to meatless steaks and burgers that will satisfy even the most discerning palate.

“People have changed their lifestyles and it’s really made a big impact on our sales,” said Doust. “Though we have lost our dine-in business, our e-commerce and production have skyrocketed to the point we are always looking for new staff for our facilities to help maintain the demand for our products.”

Doust says his customers have come to the realization that diet is an important part of overall health.

“Our plant-based food tastes a lot better than you think it will and we really delve into the nutrition to make sure everything we make is healthy,” said Doust. “Diet and exercise can really help to change our outlook.”

Meanwhile at Green Cuisine, Cunningham thinks he knows what is fuelling the increased demand for his tofu products.

“It’s just a growing interest in plant-based food,” said Cunningham. “People are looking for a plant-based alternative and plant-based products.”

It’s a trend he expects to continue after COVID-19 has come and gone.