Understanding Europe’s shift towards plant-based and flexitarian diets

In my previous column, I wrote about the importance in catering to children and families with plant-based and flexitarian dietary habits. But I think it’s time for a deeper look at consumers in general across Europe and their food preferences.

What do today’s consumers actually want? How are their food preferences and motivations evolving? Do you need to adapt your business and/or products, and if so, how? The answers to these questions are vital to maintain and optimize sales, and need to be monitored as consumer preferences shift.

ProVeg’s 2021 survey report, What Consumers Want, dived into this topic and showed European consumers are increasingly moving toward plant-based foods. Near the end of 2023, we did another round of research to explore how consumer behavior has changed over the past three years. Our newly published pan-European survey, Evolving Appetites, builds on the 2021 research and provides up-to-date conclusions and recommendations.

Let’s focus on some key data, which provides crucial insights into Europe’s rapidly evolving plant-based and flexitarian sectors.

So, the big question – are consumers reducing their meat consumption? The answer is, ‘yes’ – 51% of European meat-eaters reduced their annual meat intake in 2023, with Germany, France, and Italy leading the way. Of those European meat consumers who are reducing meat intake, 47% stated they are doing so for health, 29% for animal welfare, and 26% for the environment.

How, then, should businesses react? Given the significant drop in meat consumption, alternative protein businesses should tailor their marketing strategies to highlight the benefits of their products and attract motivated consumers. Emphasizing health, animal welfare, and environmental benefits tends to resonate well with consumers lowering meat consumption for these reasons.

Businesses should strive to improve the affordability and palatability of these products through economies of scale, R&D, innovative formulations, and strategic pricing

Not only did we find that Europeans are reducing meat intake, but they are also self-identifying as more ‘plant forward’ – 38% of Europeans stated that they currently follow a flexitarian, pescatarian, vegan, or vegetarian diet.

Although many attribute plant-forward eating habits to younger populations, our survey surprisingly found the flexitarian diet transcends generations. Specifically, 29% of Boomers, 27% of Gen X, 26% of Gen Z, and 28% of Millennials in Europe identify as flexitarian.

With a sizable portion of Europeans following flexitarian and plant-forward diets, businesses should diversify their offerings to cater to this trend. By introducing more plant-based options into your lines and offering familiar alternatives that replicate animal-based products, you’ll appeal to this growing segment. The survey results suggest there is an opportunity for marketing and product development tailored to specific needs across age groups. To capitalize on this, you should ensure you have offerings that can cater to different generational groups and complementary marketing strategies.

So, what do we understand about the foods that European consumers are eating and intend to eat? We hear about the popularity of plant-based alternatives all the time, but did you know that legumes are gaining favor? The survey showed 57% of respondents incorporate legumes into their diets at least once a week, and 17% regularly eat legume-based alternatives. Notably, 53% of Europeans intend to increase their consumption of legumes in the next six months. Manufacturers should therefore foster partnerships with legume farmers and suppliers, while food companies should prioritize developing innovative products in this category.

Although 28% of European consumers regularly eat plant-based alternatives – and 40% plan on increasing their consumption of them – price and taste are major barriers, with 38% of respondents citing price as the most significant obstacle to purchasing plant-based alternatives, followed by taste (30%). To overcome this, businesses should strive to improve the affordability and palatability of these products through economies of scale, R&D, innovative formulations, and strategic pricing.

Consumer preferences and attitudes toward alternative proteins are evolving rapidly. If you’re in the food industry, you need to continuously monitor market trends, conduct consumer research, and adapt your strategies accordingly to stay ahead of the curve and remain relevant in a constantly changing landscape. This was only a taste of the latest consumer data. You can access the full Evolving Appetites report on ProVeg’s website, and for more support on your plant-based strategy, head to the New Food Hub.

Gemma Tadman is ProVeg International’s B2B Communications Manager. In her role, she works to engage and support businesses in the transition to sustainable food and drink production, and accelerate the growth of the alternative protein industry. This article is republished from the Q2 2024 edition of Protein Production Technology International, the industry's leading resource for alternative proteins. To subscribe to all future editions, please click here