Plant-based cheese, ready meals, seafood and alternatives to eggs are among the most significant opportunities in the plant-based arena, a major survey of over 6,000 consumers has revealed. Food awareness organization ProVeg International recently surveyed consumers across nine European countries to identify priorities for product improvement and development, based on consumers’ experience of purchasing and consuming plant-based products. Verena Wiederkehr, Head of Food Industry and Retail at ProVeg tells FoodIngredientsFirst that the results can inform manufacturers and boost retailers’ product portfolios.

“Plant-based is not a trend, it is a fundamental shift in consumer behavior. We are at the very beginning of the growth of the plant-based sector. The results of our study demonstrate huge untapped potential, particularly in product areas such as plant-based seafood and egg alternatives, which reveal strong potential demand yet relatively low consumption rates,” explains Wiederkehr.

More people are now acting upon the health, environmental and animal welfare benefits of plant-based food. Awareness of the climate impact of our food, in particular, has grown significantly in the past couple of years. If we are serious about tackling the climate crisis, which a growing number of individuals, organizations and governments now are, then we need to see fundamental shifts towards plant-based,” she notes.

In-demand products
Plant-based cheese is the product that both meat reducers and plant-based eaters would most like to see more of in supermarkets, according to ProVeg. Plant-based ready meals are the second most in-demand product for reducers and the third most in-demand for plant-based eaters. Reducers would also like to see more plant-based meat alternatives that mimic meat, while plant-based eaters are looking for more plant-based baked goods and chocolates.

“Both plant-based cheese and ready meals represent huge opportunities for growth. We recommend that manufacturers focus on expanding their ranges of these in-demand products and, particularly in the case of plant-based cheeses, to improve taste and texture. Many people might be surprised to find plant-based cheese ranked as the most in-demand product for both meat reducers and plant-based eaters, but it is something we’ve been aware of for a while,” Wiederkehr asserts. 

“The data from 6,221 consumers supports the view that good quality, affordable plant-based cheeses have a good chance of penetrating, capturing and retaining a large part of a fast-growing and lucrative sector,” she adds. 

For predictions on the growth of plant-based categories, manufacturers can look to the market for plant-based meat alternatives, which is predicted to double within the next five years, according to ProVeg. The coronavirus pandemic has pushed calls for reductions in meat and dairy consumption, a theme which was already in the spotlight. Innova Market pegs the “The Plant-based Revolution” as the second most significant trend expected to influence NPD this year, fueled by growing consumer awareness of the impact of meat consumption on both personal and planetary health.

New launches with vegan claims have seen a substantial rise and are becoming mainstream. Innova Market Insights notes a 21 percent annual growth of food and beverage launches tracked with vegan claims (Global, 2015 to 2019). Moreover, the demand for vegan food is becoming more significant, with more than one in four global consumers saying vegan alternative food launches are most sustainable (Innova Market Insights Survey Global, 2019).

Plant-based seafood and egg alternatives
Major growth opportunities have also been revealed in plant-based seafood and egg alternatives. only 16 percent of reducers have already purchased and tried plant-based seafood, while for egg alternatives, the consumption rate is even lower, at only 11 percent. This is despite strong potential demand for both product categories, particularly in egg alternatives among reducers.

“The combination of strong potential consumer demand and low consumption rates is a recipe for extensive growth opportunities. We see this in the plant-based seafood sector, which is still very much in its infancy, with relatively few manufacturers and little competition,” adds Wiederkehr. “We recommend that manufacturers seriously consider expanding their product portfolios to include plant-based seafood.”

“There are very few stand-alone egg alternatives on the market, far fewer than egg replacements for baking. If you also factor in the versatility of eggs, their breadth of function, and the frequency with which they are consumed, it becomes clear that this space is another major opportunity ripe for investors looking to support start-ups,” she comments. 

ProVeg further highlights that there are not enough plant-based options available in retail locations in almost every food category. The results also reveal that consumers want to see more variety in terms of product types, raw materials, textures and flavors.  

In terms of purchase drivers for plant-based foods, the most common reasons cited were a curiosity to try new products, health benefits, trust in a brand and taste. Meanwhile, in terms of product attributes (convenience, texture, taste, appearance, naturalness, price and nutritional value), price was the main area of dissatisfaction in almost all product categories.

In April, ProVeg and the European Vegetarian unio said the shift to meat-free consumption is not only urgently needed for environmental reasons – “it can also serve as a mitigation strategy for future zoonotic pandemics.”