An increase in consumers choosing flexitarian or vegan lifestyles is pushing manufacturers to provide more meat alternatives.
Innova Market Insights data showed a 60 per cent rise in global food and beverage launches using a vegetarian claim between 2011 and 2015, and launches featuring the term “vegan” also rose to account for 4.3 per cent of total introductions in 2015, up from 2.8 per cent in 2014 and just 1.5 per cent in 2012.
The trend towards reducing meat in the diet has led more manufacturers to develop products for vegans, vegetarians, non-meat eaters and non-red-meat eaters.
The other key market is flexitarians, who mainly eat a plant-based diet but occasionally eat meat.
“This trend represents a growing opportunity for high-quality meat alternatives, which is also reflected in the 24 per cent average annual growth in global meat substitute launches recorded between 2011 and 2015,” Lu Ann Williams, director of innovation at Innova Market Insights, said.
Germany has seen the highest levels of new product development in meat alternatives and meat substitutes recently, with 69 per cent of Germans currently claiming to eat meatless meals once a week or more.
The majority of meat substitutes are still soy- or wheat protein-based, but products are evolving with alternative protein ingredients such as egg, pea, ancient grains and nuts.
“Paradoxically, another key area of opportunity in meat substitutes may be in targeting meat eaters as much as vegetarians,” Williams said.
“While many vegetarians may opt for a diet rich in vegetables and beans, meat eaters may turn to meat substitutes if the product is right.
“Instead of just finding alternatives, technological solutions also need to be focusing on the development of meat substitutes which closely mimic the taste and texture of meat products.”
