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Executives at Marlow Foods must have choked on their soya burgers last week when The Daily Mail published details of a report showing that one million British vegetarians have begun eating meat again.

Marlow Foods, recently acquired by buy-out firm Montagu Private Equity from AstraZeneca, is the manufacturer of Quorn, the UK's biggest meat-free brand.

Launched in 1985, Quorn rapidly became the darling of vegetarians looking for a versatile alternative to meat. The revolution in vegetarian eating that it inspired was reflected in year-on-year growth of around 30% during much of the 90s. But more recently, growth has begun to stall, and last year, it was just 4.8%.

Over the past few years, Marlow has attempted to broaden Quorn's positioning to become a mainstream healthy eating brand, rather than one that simply appeals to vegetarians.

That emphasis is likely to continue following the appointment earlier this month of Guy Longworth, the former Kellogg and Kraft Foods marketer, as Quorn's European marketing director, aided by a trebling of the brand's marketing budget to £6m.

But he will have to be careful - last September, Marlow was rapped on the knuckles by the Advertising Standards Authority for describing Quorn as being derived from natural mushroom protein. It is actually a mycoprotein that is fungal in origin.

And Quorn also faces growing competition from brands such as Linda McCartney, which are seizing on the demand for meat alternatives. Many people believe that the task for Quorn's new ad agency, J Walter Thompson, will be to reflect the brand's authenticity while emphasising that it continues to be the tastiest alternative to meat.

But is such a strategy likely to pay off? We asked Chris Lamb, marketing manager of the Meat and Livestock Commission, and Debbie Klein, the (almost) vegetarian planning director of WCRS, who has worked on Heinz, to deliver their verdicts.

VITAL SIGNS
Meat-free market, year   Overall         Chilled         Frozen
to end February 2003
Quorn market share       16.6%           11.5%           25.4%
Year-on-year growth      4.8%            5.6%            7.9%
Meat-free market value   £582.1m   £403.5m   £178.6m
Year-on-year growth      8%              9.7%            4.3%
Source: TNS

DIAGNOSIS

DEBBIE KLEIN

I'm one of the growing group of 'meat-avoiders' for whom food scares rather than ethical beliefs are the reasons for avoiding meat (read The Great Food Gamble by John Humphrys and you'll never eat farmed salmon again, never mind meat).

But this group of people still wants proper food, not veggie food, and Quorn is one of the only foods you never see on the menu in restaurants.

Quorn has moved from positioning itself as a meat substitute to a healthy food. Yet the reference point for much of its range remains meat (names like 'Ribsters'). The very product people have turned to because of health concerns now has health safety questions of its own to deal with. The manufacturer has also been told it can't call it mushroom protein (because it's 'as close to mushrooms as human beings are to jellyfish'). Call it mycoprotein or mould fungus. It's still pretty unappealing wanna-be meat.

Quorn needs to move from veggie masquerading as meat to proper food with proper food values. As a brand I know what Quorn isn't. But I still don't know what it is.

CHRIS LAMB

Who needs a meat substitute when British consumers are eating more and more of the real thing?

Quorn was a brainchild of the 80s/90s - a time of extremes and making big ideological statements about yourself such as "I'm giving up meat".

But today consumers' favourite meals are still based on good old favourites such as British beef, pork and lamb. And why? Because consumers today are looking more for natural foods and buzz words like 'local' and 'organic'.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then Quorn really must be a fan of beef, pork and lamb. The whole range has been based on a succession of steaks, chops, burgers and sausages. But what would you serve to a date on Saturday night? A juicy tender full-of-flavour beef steak or some kind of mushroom? Most people like their steaks with mushroom, not replaced by it.

But what is Quorn? It may be named after a fox-hunting centre in Leicestershire but I'm finding it harder and harder to track it down in my local supermarket.

TREATMENT

- Launch products that aren't fake meat. Focus on ready-meals rather than ingredients (like Quorn mince and pieces).

- Make the most of your killer facts (low cholesterol, low calorie, low fat) to draw in new buyers. GM-free soya products are hard to find, so use your non-GM story.

- Endorsement by a foodie would give the brand authority (if anyone is prepared to do it).

- Remember what is a 'me-too' proposition today is also a 'me-too' tomorrow.

- Fancy packaging can't overcome a fundamental product problem.

- 'There's a gap in the market, but is there a market for the gap' is always a relevant question for marketers to ask themselves.