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Despite plant-based meat-substitute food products becoming more commonplace, only 4% of Americans claim to be vegetarian and 1% vegan, according to Gallup’s latest Consumption Habits poll. The percentages are similar to Gallup polls taken in 2018 and 2012.
Gallup noted that while a 2019 survey showed that nearly one in four Americans had cut back on eating meat due to health and environmental reasons, the latest July 3-27 poll suggests there may have been a slight decline in vegetarianism compared with the earliest readings in 1999 and 2001 when 6% identified that way.
The Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA)’s 2022 State of the Marketplace Summary Report found that sales of plant-based food reached $8 billion in 2022, nearly double the $4.5 billion reached in 2018. Unit sales in 2022, however, were down 3% year over year amid supply chain challenges, albeit in line with the decline in animal-based food unit sales.
The organization said, “The consistent performance of plant-based foods through 2022 demonstrates consumer dedication to choosing foods that align with their values and meet their expectations related to health, sustainability, and social justice.”
A survey from Acosta Group conducted in early June found that although 88% of “active” plant-based shoppers have a moderate to high commitment to continuing their plant-based purchases, one-third of all respondents would like to see more plant-based offerings at stores. Overall, over half cited affordability as the main barrier to purchasing plant-based products.
Acosta’s study also found that Gen Z and Millennials, bigger adopters of plant-based products, were more likely to be influenced by sustainability.
A study last year from researchers led by Copenhagen University found the primary barriers to consumers becoming vegetarians, vegans, or flexitarians were the belief that humans are meant to eat lots of animal-based meat, expectations that plant-based food products would not be tasty enough, and the feeling that a plant-based eating experience is less enjoyable than the meat-eating experience.
Researchers concluded, “Future interventions should address the lay beliefs regarding the necessity of meat in a healthy diet, and the experience of plant-based foods, with special focus on their sensory characteristics and the pleasure obtained from their consumption.”