<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>Exclusive:</span></strong><span> Every time Sharon Leisk walks into her local Woolworths in Perth she worries about what she'll find.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Or, more specifically, what she won't.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Leisk went vegan about seven years ago for health reasons but said plant-based products are getting harder to find as the supermarket giant slashes its offerings.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/police-and-asic-raid-wisetech-offices/a252fa05-cfcd-48e4-bb3e-d9476e6fbb33" target="_blank"><strong><span>Police raid offices of Australian software giant WiseTech</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The stores I'm going to used to have fake meat over near the meat section and then you had a dairy [alternative] section, which had all your tofu, cheeses, those sorts of things," she told 9news.com.au.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Now they've gone and combined them into one shelf, half the size, and everything's just running out.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"My local store, it just looks really empty."</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/woolworths-coles-vegan-plant-based-options-disappearing/852e774b-86ac-4f61-920f-c872020df79e" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When she approached store managers about the lack of plant-based options, they advised her to contact head office.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Leisk claimed she emailed and called Woolworths' head office and was told the cuts were due to "poor sales" of plant-based products.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>And it seems it's not just affecting Woolworths locations in Perth.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A Woolworths Metro in North Sydney which boasts multiple fridges of meat and cheese products had only four small fridge shelves of plant-based alternatives.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/tax-return-deadline-october-31-hundreds-of-thousands-yet-to-file/358f513d-a879-4a9f-b5fe-a9e9f23226d1" target="_blank"><strong><span>Half a million Aussies have three days to dodge $1650 fine</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Woolworths confirmed its plant-based range has shrunk of late, especially in one category.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Customer demand for plant-based protein products in our stores has most definitely softened, and this is in line with what we're seeing in other markets around the world," a spokesperson told 9news.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It's not the only supermarket cutting back on plant-based options either.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A spokesperson for Coles confirmed to 9news that the grocery giant had "refined" its plant-based meat alternatives "over the past two years to better reflect customer demand".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Leisk worries the changes will make it harder for Australians who follow plant-based diets to get the food they need at reasonable prices.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Independent retailers may charge more for plant-based options, which some Aussies rely on for health as well as personal reasons.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"My other concern is for people in remote communities, where Woolworths is your only choice and when they run out, it's pretty sad," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/brisbane-storms-clean-up-continues-rain-cooler-temperature-queensland-weather-news/12ea4c85-5ce1-4587-ac0e-ee51822d1c17" target="_blank"><strong><span>Brisbane wakes to rain, plummeting temperatures as storm clean-up continues</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="styles__Wrapper-sc-2o34ro-0 cmwkBV"><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><a href="/content/2025/05/30/12/35/most-trusted-distrusted-brands-australia-bunnings-woolworths-coles-aldi-optus-telstra-qantas-ranked-roy-morgan"><img sizes="(min-width: 1024px) 636px, (min-width: 768px) 396px, 100vw" src="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/x6Q1racnqItzoumEDxcYSOHaPs0=/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Ff751b89c-f24c-490c-9b48-446211754586" srcset="https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/x6Q1racnqItzoumEDxcYSOHaPs0=/396x223/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Ff751b89c-f24c-490c-9b48-446211754586 396w, https://imageresizer.static9.net.au/miMu0bgs-5vdjMhOL_o5hcXNTsc=/636x358/https%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2Ffs%2Ff751b89c-f24c-490c-9b48-446211754586 636w"/></a></div><div class="styles__Column-sc-2o34ro-3 jJDKrX"><div class="styles__Headline-sc-2o34ro-4 hpbOlz">Surprise entrant to top 10 most trusted brands in Australia</div><div class="styles__Button-sc-2o34ro-1 eBjlmW"><a class="styles__ButtonLink-sc-2o34ro-2 hqpklJ" href="/content/2025/05/30/12/35/most-trusted-distrusted-brands-australia-bunnings-woolworths-coles-aldi-optus-telstra-qantas-ranked-roy-morgan">View Gallery</a></div></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Leisk started a </span><a href="https://www.change.org/p/woolworths-bring-back-our-vegan-options-work-with-the-community-not-against-it" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="Change.org petition"><span>Change.org petition</span></a><span> urging the supermarket giant to bring back plant-based staples that have vanished from shelves.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>More than 700 supporters have already signed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The petition calls on Woolworths to communicate transparently about product changes now and in the future.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It also suggests the retailer establish a "Vegan Product Advisory Group" of customers, nutrition experts, and sustainability advocates to help guide future decisions about its plant-based range.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We'll continue to provide choice, and a good range of plant-based products and ingredients," the Woolworths spokesperson said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We'll also shortly be offering all chilled plant-based products and ingredients in a single place in our stores to make it easier for customers to find what they're after.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Consumer demand is also met, of course, by many independent retailers."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>Have you got a story? Contact</span></strong></em><span> </span><strong><em><span>reporter Maddison Leach at</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="mailto:mleach@nine.com.au" target="_blank" title="mleach@nine.com.au"><strong><em><span>mleach@nine.com.au</span></em></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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