Veganism is becoming more popular as plant-based innovation gains momentum.
Kansas City The number of food and beverage products claiming to be vegan has increased, despite the fact that the number of consumers who make this claim has stayed small and stable. The distinction draws attention to the shifts occurring in the plant-based product market and shows how producers are attempting to carve out unique niches as the industry grows more popular.
Based on data from The NPD Group in Chicago, less than 1% of American consumers identify as vegan. According to NPD’s “The future of plant-based snapshot” research, less than 3% of consumers identify as vegetarians or vegans, with 2% and 0.7% of customers identifying as vegetarians and vegans, respectively.
However, according to statistics from Mintel’s Global New Products Database, the number of food and beverage products claiming to be vegan increased by 105% between 2015 and 2019 (the research business does not release exact figures due to policy). The top three product categories claiming to be vegan were energy bars, cereal, and snacks; meal replacement and other beverages; and meat alternatives.
According to the International Food Information Council Foundation (IFIC), a Washington-based organization, acceptance of plant-based diets will continue to be fueled by environmental concerns in 2020. But according to IFIC, consumer perceptions of plant-based diets differ, indicating a fragmented market. According to a survey, 32% of respondents defined a plant-based diet as vegan, while 30% defined it as a diet that prioritizes minimally processed plant-based foods and limits intake of animal products including dairy, eggs, and meat. Twenty percent of respondents defined a plant-based diet as vegetarianism, or avoiding animal products, while eight percent defined it as a diet that emphasizes eating as much fruit and vegetable as possible while allowing for unlimited consumption of dairy, eggs, and animal products.
Veganism has been selected by Technomic, Inc. as one of the top global trends for food service market research in 2020. According to Aaron Jourden, senior research manager at Technomic, “the food and beverage industry has never been more impacted by the no-animal-products diet.” However, he went on, it does not imply that customers are giving up on animals. For some, eating vegan or vegetarianism is a healthier option, or it’s a way to follow the newest food fad.
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McDonald’s Corp.’s United Kingdom business unit introduced its first vegan meal at the start of the year. The Veggie Dippers were introduced on January 2 in McDonald’s restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland. They are composed of red pepper, rice, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, and split peas and are coated in breadcrumbs. Clients are currentlyallowed to order Veggie Dippers with any soft drink or sauce and vegan-approved french fries to create the chain’s first vegan meal.
According to Thomas O’Neill, head of food marketing at McDonald’s U.K. and Ireland, “we’ve seen an 80% uplift in customers ordering vegetarian options at McDonald’s in the last 12 months, so it’s time for the brand famous for the dippable McNugget to launch a dippable option for our vegetarian, vegan, and flexitarian customers.”
The Newport Beach, California-based Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. unveiled its Lifestyle Bowl platform in 2019. There are vegetarian and vegan options among the items. While the vegetarian version consists of “supergreens,” brown rice, black beans, fajita veggies, tomato salsa, sour cream, and guacamole, the vegan option consists of brown rice, black beans, plant-based Sofritas, tomato salsa, roasted chili-corn salsa, and shredded romaine lettuce.
The initiatives taken by Chipotle Mexican Grill and McDonald’s U.K. highlight how the fragmentation of the plant-based market is forcing product developers to create plant-based solutions that satisfy a range of customer preferences.