THIS beef burger

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Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Report Explores Practical Approaches to Achieving Price Parity for Plant-Based Meat

New Food Innovation, an organisation acting as an accelerator for the food industry, has published a new report titled “Plant-based Meats – The Battle For Price Parity”. Authored by food scientist, chef, and author Anthony Warner, the report finds that plant-based meat is still 67% more expensive than animal meat in the UK. It explains how this is a major obstacle preventing consumers from switching to more sustainable options, with the cost of living crisis and rising inflation exacerbating the problem. Warner then discusses how the cost of plant-based meat could be reduced, suggesting an overhaul of supply chains. While soy or pea protein is generally far cheaper than meat, the ingredients added to plant protein to make meat alternatives — such as flavourings, fats, …

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mother with daughter in supermarket

Image courtesy ProVeg International

Retail & E-Commerce

At Six Out of Seven Dutch Supermarkets Plant-Based Alternatives Are Cheaper Than Animal Products, Study Finds

Recent research by think tank Questionmark on behalf of ProVeg International has revealed that some plant-based products are now more affordable than their animal counterparts in six supermarkets out of the seven major Dutch retailers. The research compared prices of 12 standard products, including vegetarian meatballs, plant-based cheese, and yogurt, at supermarkets Albert Heijn, Aldi, Dirk, Jumbo, Lidl, Plus, and Ekoplaza. The results show that in nearly every case, the cheapest plant-based option was even more affordable than the most economical animal-based counterpart.  Up to 20% less At supermarket Ekoplaza, the savings on a shopping basket including vegetarian meatballs, plant-based butter, and vegetarian shawarma can be as high as €9.66, amounting to a 20% discount.  Jumbo and Lidl also offer attractive prices, with plant-based options being €3.89 and …

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Lidl Austria equalizes prices for over 30 vegan items from its own Vemondo brand.

Equality on the plate © Lidl

Retail & E-Commerce

Lidl Austria Joins Price-Parity Movement, Slashes Prices for Over 30 Vemondo Products

Starting today, Lidl Austria is undercutting prices by up to 52% for over 30 Vemondo products (its private-label brand), including alternatives to milk, minced meat, sausages, and other plant-based products. This radical price reduction aims to match the prices of vegan products with similar animal-based items to ensure what the retailer calls “equality on the plate.”  With this initiative, Lidl Austria joins the price-parity trend that started with Lidl Germany, followed by Kaufland, Aldi Süd, Penny, BILLA, Jumbo, Lidl Hungary, Lidl Denmark, and Salling Group to make plant-based alternatives more attractive and affordable for vegans, vegetarians, and flexitarians.  “We have abolished the price barrier for vegan products. The animal-based comparison items are not expensive branded products, but our affordable own brands. This means we are foregoing margins and investing a …

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© REWE / BILLA

Retail & E-Commerce

Reduction in Prices of Plant-Based Products at BILLA Results in 33% Increase in Sales

Recent figures revealed that Austria is leading the way in Europe in terms of veganism, with the vegan population rising from 3% to 5% since 2021. Whether for regional, animal welfare, organic, or purely plant-based products – a sustainable and conscious diet is becoming increasingly important in the lives of people in Austria. Rewe Group’s BILLA chain has been consistently reacting to this shift in recent months and would like to set new industry standards, with plant-based foods in particular playing a key role. The Vegavita own-brand has been an integral part of the world of plant products for more than 20 years. As a pioneer, BILLA set a milestone with PFLANZILLA, the first store in Europe by a classic food retailer with a purely …

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A woman and a child shopping at a supermarket.

© Salling Group

Retail & E-Commerce

Price Parity Trend Continues in Europe: Salling Group and Lidl Hungary & Denmark Announce Drop in Plant-Based Food Prices

Article updated 12th Jan: The price drop has also been carried out by Lidl in Denmark which states, “With the campaign ‘The choice is yours’, Lidl will focus on the vegan range in all Lidl stores in the coming months. Lidl will price-match the prices of vegan private-label products under the Vemondo brand with comparable animal products.” The trend of retailers dropping prices of plant-based products, to reach parity or lower than their animal equivalents, continues in Europe, with Lidl Hungary and Denmark’s Salling Group this week joining the list of retailers helping to promote the adoption of plant-based diets. Last October, Lidl Germany announced a 20% drop in price for its Vemondo plant-based range to reach piece parity with similar animal products. The move was followed by …

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Rebellyous Foods is accepting proposals from food facilities to operate its new system that manufactures plant-based meat at price parity with animal products.

© Rebellyous Foods

Manufacturing & Technology

Rebellyous Foods Calls on Food Facilities to Revolutionize Plant-Based Chicken Prices with Mock 2

Rebellyous Foods, a Seattle-based startup working to make plant-based chicken affordable, raised $9.5 million last February to build Mock 2, a production system that is said to be capable of producing plant-based meat at 60% lower cost than all available methods.  The food tech, which has recently unveiled the technology, now announces that it is accepting proposals (RFP) from USDA or FDA food facilities to install and operate the production system to make its plant-based chicken and potentially other companies’ products, starting in early Spring 2024.   Mock 2 consists of a fully continuous, automated, and chilled dough system that is said to improve and simplify the mix-and-form process, thus saving electricity and labor resources. According to the food tech, it can produce from 2,500 to 3,700 pounds per hour, with the …

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ProVeg Czechia product lineup

© ProVeg Czechia

Protein

Czech Parliament Hosts Seminar to Promote Plant-Based Diets

In early November, the Czech Chamber of Deputies hosted a seminar titled “New Trends in the Food Industry – an opportunity for the Czech Economy, a healthier society and a sustainable future?”. Organized by Klára Kocmanová, Vice President of the Environment Committee, and sponsored by the Ministers of Environment and Health, this event gathered food producers, retailers, and specialists to discuss advancing alternative protein sources. ProVeg Czechia‘s food industry and retail consultant, Tereza Trávníčková, initiated the seminar, highlighting the increasing adoption of plant-based diets among Czechs and the importance of achieving price parity. “Price significantly influences consumer decisions. Czech consumers face significant price differences: they pay over 160% more for a plant-based alternative to minced meat and almost 60% more for a plant-based alternative to …

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Jumbo announces that customers can purchase its private-label plant-based meat at the same price as the animal product.

© Jumbo

Retail & E-Commerce

Jumbo Drops Plant-Based Meat Prices as Sweeping Trend for Price-Parity Continues in Europe

Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo announces that it has dropped the prices of its private-label plant-based meat range to match the price of similar animal products. According to the retailer, the high cost of meat alternatives is a common obstacle for consumers choosing sustainable products. This initiative is part of Jumbo’s bigger goal of making 60% of its protein products plant-based by 2030 to foster a transition to sustainable diets. However, Jumbo’s new pricing strategy follows a recent wave of similar initiatives in the European retail sector.  Lidl Germany was the first supermarket chain to equalize the prices of Vemondo’s meat alternatives and animal products this October. Since then, Kaufland, Aldi Süd, Penny, and BILLA have launched similar price initiatives to encourage the adoption of plant-based consumption. Anrico Maat, Retail Director of Jumbo, comments: …

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BILLA popup, Graz

© BILLA

Retail & E-Commerce

Yet Another EU Retailer Drops Vegan Prices as BILLA Makes “Plant-Based Possible for Everyone”

In addition to the announcement of BILLA’s second vegan store which opened today, the retailer has just announced that “customers can expect new prices in the Vegavita range in all BILLA and BILLA PLUS stores across Austria to make plant-based possible for everyone”. With the goal of making plant-based products affordable for all Austrians, BILLA says that all future products added to its own-brand range Vegevita at BILLA and BILLA PLUS, and have an animal-based counterpart, will automatically be priced at the same level or, if possible, at a lower price. A promising trend yet to be seen in UK or NA The move follows the initiative taken firstly by Lidl in October and followed by Kaufland days later, as well as Penny and Aldi …

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Supermarket shelves with alt milk courtesy ProVeg

Image courtesy ProVeg

Retail & E-Commerce

Study Reveals Price Convergence of Animal and Plant Products in Germany

According to ProVeg, surcharges for plant-based alternatives are steadily decreasing as German retailers continue to adjust their prices. This year’s ProVeg price study found that prices for plant-based alternative products are converging with those of their animal counterparts. The average price difference between a basket of plant-based products and a basket of animal-based products dropped from 53 to 25 percent in one year. In the meantime, four large retail chains have made price adjustments and now permanently offer animal and plant-based own-brand products at the same price. First Lidl and Kaufland and now also Penny and Aldi Süd have permanently adjusted the prices of plant-based alternative products of their own brands to the prices of their animal counterparts. “The large retail chains have the opportunity …

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Lidl announces price parity of own brand Vemondo range

© Lidl Deutschland

Retail & E-Commerce

Lidl Announces Price Parity of Vegan Products with Animal Based Counterparts

Lidl Germany announces today that almost the entirety of its own-brand vegan range, Vemondo, will be priced equally to products of animal origin, and that these products are to be placed in direct vicinity to their animal counterparts in all of its 3,250+ locations. According to Head of Merchandise Christoph Graf, “With the price adjustment of our Vemondo products, we want to invite customers more to try out the plant-based alternatives – without the price being the decisive criterion.” The news follows Lidl’s sustainability strategy revealed this February whereby the company stated that moving forward it would focus on reducing animal-based products and increasing its plant-based offering. Lidl states that it currently offers up to 650 vegan items including over 100 SKUs in its award-winning Vemondo …

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Beyond Meat Smashable Burger

Smash burger © Beyond Meat

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Alt Meats Approach Price Parity in France as Beyond Meat Becomes 40% Cheaper

New figures from France suggest that plant-based meats are close to price parity with conventional meat, as high inflation amongst other factors continues to affect the price of animal products. According to market analyst Xerfi, meat alternatives have been less affected by rising costs, due to increased economies of scale and the compression of margins. In fact, the prices of some plant-based meats have actually fallen, despite inflation, mirroring a GFI report from April in which data from 13 countries demonstrated that the prices of these foods have been less affected by inflation than conventional animal products. For example, Beyond Meat’s burgers dropped from €27 to €16.34 per kilogram between 2020 and 2023 — a 40% reduction that brings them close to price parity. Meanwhile, …

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A bacon sandwich

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Studies & Numbers

59% of UK Consumers Want the Government to Subsidise Alt Protein Products

A survey by ProVeg International has investigated the factors that could convince British meat eaters to switch to alt protein products. The survey found that 70% of respondents believe that plant-based foods are more expensive, though we recently discussed how plant-based products are heading towards price parity, for example in the Netherlands plant-based meat is already cheaper than animal products in many cases. Furthermore, 59% said they would like meat and dairy alternatives to be subsidised by the government to make them more affordable. Subsidise plants, not animal meat If plant-based products were subsidised by the government in the way that the meat industry receives subsidies, the impact would be phenomenal. Survey participants said they would be much more likely to buy vegan products if …

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