Better for you, not best for you: European consumers want moments of guilt-free indulgence

The power of plants: European consumers want plant-based alternatives that mimic the experience of eating animal produce

Over the last decade, the flexitarian movement has grown across Europe, with consumers making conscious attempts to either eliminate or moderate intake of meat and dairy. Like any other health and wellness related trend, this will intensify as a result of COVID-19.

The desire to reduce meat and dairy intake is driven by health and sustainability concerns. This is especially important as consumers believe that the issues of health and the environment are interlinked and ultimately impact on each other. Consumers are more concerned than ever before about the state of the environment and recognise issues caused from cattle farming such as greenhouse gasses. Dairy can also be associated with health problems such as high sugar and fat intake, while excessive meat intake is something associated with issues such as high blood pressure. Animal welfare is also a reason for wanting to reduce/eliminate intake of dairy and meat, and this will have intensified as a result of COVID-19.

Whilst a considerable proportion of consumers describe themselves as flexitarian in the region and plan to increase their intake of plant produce over the next twelve months, the reality is that many can struggle to stick to better-for-you dietary plans in the long-term. Indeed, many consumers admit that they would struggle to give up meat and dairy in the long-term. The plant-based food and drink market also faces the challenge of some consumers being concerned about the taste and texture of products. Irrespective of concerns over health and the environment, consumers will prioritise indulgence when seeking out products and will be unwilling to compromise on this.

As such, if consumers are to turn to plant-based alternatives in the long-term, it is crucial that such products are seen to mimic the experience of eating animal produce from a taste, texture, and juiciness perspective, so that conversion to such products is effortless. Moreover, in a recessionary environment, it is also important that these products are deemed affordable.

It is further crucial for brands not to be deemed as making misleading comments about how healthy plantbased products are, as this will increase the risk of a consumer backlash towards the industry in the region.

Proportion of consumers who describe themselves as flexitarian (2020)

Czech Republic 21%

France 21%

Germany 22%

Italy 29%

Spain 20%

Source: Meat and Plant-based protein survey 2020 (6,000 respondents)

UK 19%

Proportion of consumers who say that they plan to increase their intake of plant-based food and drink as a result of COVID-19 (2021)

19% 23% 25% 23%

10% 24%

19%

Denmark France Germany Italy Poland Spain UK

Source: COVID-19 survey 2021 (7,000 respondents)

Top five reasons for following a diet based around meat avoidance/elimination (2020) Europe

I associate eating less meat with being healthier Environmental concerns

Concerns over animal welfare

I believe eating meat leads to heart health problems I believe eating meat leads to weight gain

Source: Meat and Plant-based protein survey 2020 (6,000 respondents)

47%

37%

36% 74%

72%