Plant-based food brand Meatless Farm has launched a "light-hearted" advertising campaign targeted at encouraging "lockdown meat-reducers" to curb their meat consumption further.

The £1.5m campaign's provocative 'M*** F***' strapline will be plastered on 12 electric cars driving around London, as well as on billboards and bus signs, the company said today.

The message will also supported through online and print advertising and printed on the packaging of all its products, the company said.

Meatless Farms - which sells plant-based mince, sausages, and burgers to supermarkets as well as restaurant chains - said its sales have surged by 179 per cent year-on-year as a growing number of Britons have embraced plant-based alternatives to meat during lockdown.

"Throughout lockdown we've seen a huge surge in sales, with more and more Brits trying or considering making the swap to plant-based, even if it is just once a week," said Michael Hunter, chief growth officer at Meatless Farm. "We felt the nation needed a bit of a lift as it's been a tough time for everyone, so more than ever we wanted to create something light-hearted and fun that consumers would remember when they are looking for alternatives to meat."

The firm said that the advertising campaign is its most extensive marketing push to date, and the second campaign it has produced after seeing consumer demand for plant-based meat products spike in the last six months.