The Facts Are Compelling

Today, there are 1.5 billion people globally who follow a vegetarian diet, about 1 in every 5 people. Certain cultures are innately plantbased, for instance, in India where almost 40% of the country is vegetarian (about 400 million consumers), compared to the U.S. where just 5% of people say they are totally plant-based (though 32% identify themselves as “mostly vegetarian” or are actively reducing their meat consumption).

But cultural differences aside, most consumers around the world are expressing increasing interest in plant-based foods than ever before, and it is spurred by the following beliefs:

They are healthier…The science is definitely supportive of this consumer belief, as plant-based diets reduce the risk of heart disease (by 40%), the incidence of cancer (by 10-12%), and type 2 diabetes (by 50%). Though it is more just the general consumer knowledge that a plant-based lifestyle may be healthier because you are eating fewer calories, less fat and less cholesterol.

They are more environmentally conscious and sustainable… This is one of the more salient beliefs driving the plant-based movement as 48% of consumers opt for a plant-based diet for environmental reasons, up from 31% in 2018 (source: Food Navigator). There is lots of literature to suggest that a global shift to a vegetarian diet could cut greenhouse gas emissions by 63% (Time magazine), and that livestock alone accounts for 14% of GHG. Science also points to animal agriculture contributing to rainforest destruction, which is similarly a driver for environmentally conscious consumers getting motivated to eat plantbased diets.

They are not sacrificial from a culinary point-of-view… There used to be the thinking that pursuing a plant-based diet was a culinary sacrifice, a creative sacrifice, and that you were forever condemned to eating steamed broccoli and carrots for the rest of your life. People did not know how to cook vegetables as a true entrée and main plate dish. This is changing dramatically, and it is motivated by incredible access to plant-based ideas via TikTok, books like Ottolenghi’s “Flavor” that transcend old vegetarian bibles like the “Moosewood Cookbook” of the 1970s, and celebrity chefs like Gordan Ramsey teaching us how to make cauliflower steak. To add to all of this, today there are 50 vegetarian and 20 vegan restaurants that have earned a Michelin star. There is no longer any culinary sacrifice, real or perceived, in pursuing a plantbased diet.

They don’t ostracize me… 20 years ago, if someone showed up to your Holiday dinner and said, “excuse me, but I can’t eat the Thanksgiving turkey or Christmas roast”, they would get a cross-eyed look from the host and quietly be ostracized. There was a tacit stigma in being a plant-based consumer. But that has all changed, and it is simply a matter of numbers, be cause more than 4 in 10 consumers today are actively trying to reduce their consumption of animal-based meat products. Millennials drive this statistic, with 54% reporting that they are trying to be more plant-based. Yes, even during the holidays.

They are more ethical…For people who believe plant-based diets are more ethical, this usually stems from veganism, which rejects all animal products including eggs and dairy (and even honey), and extends to cosmetics, soaps, etc. that are produced with animal testing. The core vegan is the most strident consumer group within the plant-based umbrella, believing that poultry and beef producers raise and slaughter their animals in inhumane conditions, that it is cruel, and thus they oppose the “exploitation” of non-human animals overall.

The ethics of meat-eating versus true veganism admittedly gets very murky, but it is a driver for many who pursue plant-based eating. Vegans represent the smallest, but I would say the most passionate of the plant-based eating universe, and in the U.S. about 1 in 4 vegetarians is truly vegan. The UK has the most vegans in the world, and Israel has the highest percentage (5% of their total population).