New data from Euromonitor has found that while the percentage of consumers following strict vegan and vegetarian diets remains small, those restricting animal-based foods to some degree now account for 40% of global consumers.
The study, Going Plant-Based: The Rise of Vegan and Vegetarian Food, sought to determine the locations in which veganism and vegetarianism is highest, what vegetarian/vegan/plant-based claims mean to consumers and which food categories show the most promise.
It found that the UK and Australia boast the highest percentage of consumers that declare “I have an animal -product eating restriction”, with more than 45% of consumers adopting this stance.
The worldwide average is 42%.
Strict Diet
In addition, the UK boasts the highest percentage of consumers that asset that they are following a strict vegetarian diet, at 7%, followed by the US (5%).
One of the biggest trends in this area has been the rise of dairy-free products, and Euromonitor found that dairy-free ice cream and yoghurt have performed particularly strongly in the US, UK and Ireland, with higher digital shares of shelf last year.
Meat substitutes are another growing sector, with many producers in Western Europe adopting a 'vegetarian' claim for these products, ahead of a 'vegan' claim, due to the use of some animal-based ingredients, such as eggs, in some products.
Retailer Investment
A myriad of European retailers have increased their vegan and vegetarian offerings in recent months – in March, Switzerland's Migros announced the expansion of its vegan offering, while in February, Lidl Belgium added a new range of meat substitutes to its range.
Elsewhere, Asda trialled a vegan butcher counter at the start of the year, as part of its 'Veganuary' campaign, and Dutch retailer Jumbo unveiled its new 'Lekker Veggie’ meat alternative range last summer.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
