Plant-Based Sales are up... and so are Meat Sales. Now What?
The plant-based foods industry is on the rise. This is a mantra many of us in the food world have been repeating for years now and while the data shows this is indeed true – we are missing something. The Plant Based Foods Association and Good Food Institute released a joint SPINS report showing plant-based food sales in retail grew 11% in 2019 and the market is now worth $5 billion. There is no denying that plant-based foods are a major accelerator for growth in the retail sphere, especially considering food overall (plant-based and conventional) only grew 2% in 2019.
This is proof that consumers are buying plant-based foods, meats especially – which is important, it shows that Americans are indeed interested in eating a protein that is not derived from an animal … at least sometimes. Which leads us to the crux of the issue here. While the plant-based food industry is celebrating news that plant-based meat sales grew 18.4% to nearly $1 billion — a flashy six times faster than conventional meat sales – there has been no drop in meat sales.
More Plant-Based Options Doesn’t Mean Less Meat
In fact, around the time that plant-based retail sales data was released, FMI, the Foundation for Meat and Poultry Research and Education, and the North American Meat Institute released a report showing demand for meat is accelerating with $50.5 billion in sales for 2019. The report looks into the mindset of meat consumers, showing that many are looking to moderate the amount of meat they’re consuming rather than eliminating it altogether. FMI Vice President, Fresh Foods, Rick Stein noted, “One of the most compelling storylines in the analysis is that 85% of shoppers purchase specific cuts of meat and they are eating smaller portions, but with total volume sales up slightly, that means they are eating less more often.”
A 2019 report from Nielsen shows that 98% of people who purchase meat alternatives also purchase animal-based meats. Implying that consumers are looking for many types of protein – basically, more options. The idea that consumers ALSO want plant-based options has spawned many meat producers to roll out 100% plant-based and “hybrid” options as well. Just look at Cargill, Tyson, Perdue, Nestlé, JBS, Hormel, and more.
Another key stat from the FMI report shows that 49% of consumers believe that animal agriculture does not have negative impacts on the planet if done properly. Understanding of negative impacts is higher among younger generations but still doesn’t reflect ample education amongst consumers that 99% of meat purchased in the U.S. comes from factory farming.
So far we’re pretty much at a stalemate. On one side, the plant-based foods industry is celebrating increasing retail sales as a win and the meat industry is noting the potential to make more money by opting to create their own plant-based meats while simultaneously not seeing any sort of decline in overall meat consumption. They’re having their steak and eating it too.
How We Can Do a Better Job
This is not all to say that we should not celebrate the growth of plant-based foods. Not at all. From a Public Health perspective, making plant-based options that compete with meat on price, taste, and convenience more available will lead to better choices – but do we have the luxury of waiting for that shift given the state of our climate crisis? Not to mention “better” is subjective as many people are looking for foods that are clean label, free from allergens like soy and gluten, and local. This may account for the consumer who is purchasing higher-quality, smaller portions of meat more often in addition to their occasional meat substitute.
A recent report, “Climate Change and the American Diet,” published by Earth Day Network and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, highlights that half of the Americans surveyed would eat more plant-based foods if they better understood their meals’ environmental impacts. Over 50% of those surveyed claim they rarely heard about the environmental impact of food in the media, and nearly 60% said they rarely talked about how their food affects climate change and no one has ever asked them to eat more plant-based foods.
This highlights a big gap in our efforts. We need to channel as much gusto and enthusiasm into educating Americans about the benefits of reducing meat consumption (and eating more whole plant foods) for the sake of the planet – and their health – as we do into celebrating the rise of plant-based meats.
Maybe then we can make a dent in meat sales and make plant-based foods the holistic solution we all so desperately need.