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With six percent of Americans now identifying as vegan (which has risen one percent in 2014 according to an industry report released this month), it’s no surprise to learn that veganism has grown by 500% since 2014.
A recently released, highly regarded industry report from research company GlobalData, entitled Top Trends in Prepared Foods in 2017 shows an explosion in veganism in the USA over the last 3 years. The report cites a growing awareness of the impact of meat and dairy consumption amongst consumers who are increasingly looking to purchase ethically produced and environmentally sustainable foods.
In the report, six key areas in consumer trends were identified, with veganism and ‘going meat-free‘ listed as the top trend:
Go Meat-Free: Rising veganism and awareness of the impact of meat consumption are driving demand for meat-free products substitutes.
Another key trend identified also centred around ‘Ethical eating’:
Ethical Eating: Consumers are connecting ethical and sustainable lifestyles with wellbeing and wellness, creating demand for more ethically prepared foods.
The report recognised that whilst consumers’ diets are diverse, with many people claiming not to follow a specific diet, there is a gradual shift away from meat, largely in response to health trends, thanks so recent reports from the likes of The World Health Organisation linking meat consumption to wide range of health issues, as well as negative effects on the environment.
The USA isn’t the only place that is seeing a huge growth in veganism, as the report also showed 44% of consumers in Germany now follow a low-meat diet, which is a significant increase from 2014 (26%). There are also 542,000 people in Britain now following a vegan diet, a number which has increased three-and-a-half times since 2006. This has been good news for vegan food producers as vegan food sales soared by over 1500% in 2016 in the UK alone, with the global sector for plant-based foods topped $5 billion in sales in the same year.
