October 8, 2014 Sophie Langley

Global vegetarian food and drink product launches double in five years, Mintel

Global food and drink launches that carried a vegetarian claim doubled between 2009 and 2013, increasing to 12 per cent, up from 6 per cent, according to new findings from global market research organisation Mintel.

Further to this, Mintel found that 2 per cent of global food and drink launches carried a vegan claim in 2013, up from 1 per cent in 2009.

Mintel said that in the UK today, the vegetarian diet was firmly on the map with 12 per cent of UK adults following a vegetarian or vegan diet, rising to 20 per cent of 16 to 24s. In the UK alone, Mintel estimated the meat-free food market to have hit 625 million in 2013 and further forecasts it to rise to 657 in 2014, up from 543 million in 2009. Mintels research showed that almost half (48 per cent) of UK consumers saw meat-free products as environmentally friendly and 52 per cent saw them as healthy.

Our research highlights just how much of an impact vegetarianism has had on the UK food and drink market, said Laura Jones, Global Food Science Analyst at Mintel. Globally, the outlook for the meat alternative market is positive and will continue to be driven by an emerging consumer trend towards meat reduction on a part-time basis, also called flexitarianism, entailing increased consumption of plant-based foods without completely cutting out meat, she said.

Indeed, many meat-reducing consumers have adopted a flexible attitude, choosing to limit meat, rather than eliminate it entirely, Ms Jones said. Launches of vegetarian and vegan products echo manufacturers desire to communicate the suitability of their products to the widest range of consumers, she said.

Protein concerns

In addition, while it has been a concern for vegetarians that they will miss out on a vital source of protein, just 17 per cent of UK consumers who are consuming less protein than they were a year ago say this is because they are following more of a vegetarian diet.

Moreover, Mintel found that while the benefits of protein have been in the spotlight over the past 12 months, many UK consumers were opting for non-meat protein sources with one in eight (18 per cent) UK consumers claimed they were eating more non-animal sources of protein (eg dairy, plant, grains) compared to a year ago. Despite this, in 2013 less than 1 per cent of food and drink products launched globally carried both a vegetarian and high-protein claim.

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Global vegetarian food and drink product launches double in five years, Mintel