The Importance of the Flexitarian

If vegans are the most ardent and strict within the plant-based consumer universe (because there are often moral, ethical, and religious motivations), then as their name implies, flexitarians have the most flexibility in approaching vegetable-forward diets. Simply defined you can see each group as follows:

• Meat-eaters: who as we have said, are also buying plant-based foods

• Flexitarians: primarily plantbased diets, but don’t set strict boundaries. They eat animal products sparingly

• Vegetarians: they do not eat meat, poultry, game, fish or shellfish, and many do eat eggs and dairy (“lacto-vegetarians”)

• Vegans: as we have said earlier, no animal products or byproducts at all

The data can be a little fuzzy on this, but in the U.S. according to a recent study (Source: Sprouts and One Poll), 47% of Americans describe themselves as flexitarians and more than half (54%) ages 2439 identify themselves as such.

In the U.K. according to YouGov (2023) a study of all adults showed that 14% of the British population self-identified as flexitarian when it came to their dietary lifestyle.

Vegans, vegetarians and meat-eaters: self-reported dietary choices in the UK, All adults, Jan 2, 2023

– Flexitarian: mainly vegetarian, but occasionally eat meat or fish

– Pescetarian: eat fish but do not eat meat or poultry

– Vegetarian: do not eat any meat, poultry, game, fish, or shellfish

– Plant-based / Vegan: do not eat dairy products, eggs, or any other animal product

Most consumer marketing companies would look at the plant-based universe through a segmentation lens, and they quickly see that the vegan and vegetarian are already a part of it. They are in the boat. It is the rise of flexitarianism that represents the real potential, and it correlates with younger generations of consumers. And, importantly, it correlates with the language CPG companies are using to bring more flexitarians into their legions of brands.

It is Impossible. It is Daring. It is Innocent.

It is Bol.

It is This (Isn’t).

Enthusiastic language that signals it is loaded with flavor, that it is on the cutting edge, it is creative and colorful. It is all about getting the flexitarian to buy-in.