The trend data for vegan food production all point in one direction: growth!
Nestlé forecasts the vegan market to be worth USD 5.2 billion by 2020, the majority of which will be vegan snacks. The average annual growth rate of products designated as “plant-based” or “100 percent vegetable” was 60% between 2012 and 2017. According to Innova Market Insights, the launch of new vegan foods recorded an average growth rate of 45% between 2013 and 2017. Vegan ready meals are also more in demand than ever before, with an average annual growth rate of 58% between 2013 and 2017. The reason for the increasing growth rates is increasingly responsible and health-conscious consumers. Many consumers today are concerned about sustainable food production, with the aim of protecting the environment by reducing their meat and milk consumption. They make their food choices based on these ethical values, combined with health considerations.
Many product manufacturers are becoming aware of the trend towards alternative meat products. This is why more and more meat producers are expanding their ranges with plant-based products. Vegan burgers are particularly in demand in the alternative meat market, and innovative technologies are constantly being developed to produce them even more effectively. The stabilisation and texturisation system manufacturer Hydrosol presents itself as a company which uses innovative technologies to make vegan meat alternatives possible. Vegan burgers, vegan meatballs and vegan escalopes can be produced with its HydroTOP Gel 30. “It’s not just vegans but also flexitarians who are responsible for the increasing growth in alternative meat products,” says Hydrosol product manager Florian Bark.
Such innovative technologies enable manufacturers to respond more to the needs of consumers. Due to the variety of production options and the increasing demand, more and more large food chains are including vegan meat alternatives in their ranges. The supermarket chain Tesco already sells plant-based steaks from Vivera in over 400 supermarkets throughout Great Britain. The Dutch manufacturer Vivera is planning an expansion this year and would like to sell its vegan steaks in supermarkets in Germany, France and Italy. The British chain Sainsbury’s is also offering meat alternatives. Since June 27th, vegan and vegetarian plant-based products from Naturli’ Foods have also been available in the meat department in 400 stores. Henrik Lund, CEO of Naturli’ Foods, believes that avoiding meat and dairy products has many environmental benefits, and emphasises the main objective of giving back to nature through high-quality plant-based products.
