Sales of “fake meat” are falling: the economic crisis begins to eat the vegetarian
According to Bloomberg reports, the fake meat sector, or vegetarian alternative meats, is going into crisis in the US, which was at the forefront of the sector.
According to data from Information Resources Inc. (IRI), sales of chilled alternative meat at retailers decreased 10.5% by volume in the 52 weeks ending September 4, 2022. According to Jonna Parker, fresh food specialist at market research firm, higher prices are the main reason for the decline, but not the only one. – Bloomberg
" Cheaper protein in terms of price per kilo fared better ," said Parker, who noted that semi-vegetarian shoppers who previously opted for the alternative product are now choosing the less expensive real product. In short, people are less willing to pay an economic premium for fake meat, especially when you consider that "taste and health concerns" are playing an important role.
According to Deloitte, the fake meat industry has a perception problem. According to a survey of 2,000 consumers in July, the belief that plant-based meat is actually healthier and more environmentally sustainable than meat of animal origin has diminished.
Despite growing alarm over climate change, the number of American vegetarians or vegans has remained relatively stable over the past 20 years. In 2018, about 5% of Americans said they were vegetarians, while 3% were vegan, according to a Gallup poll.
Even when participants in a study conducted at Purdue University in Indiana were given information on the carbon footprint of meat production, participants were more likely to choose regular meat rather than a plant-based alternative.
Bhagyashree Katare, author of the study, said participants may have been put off by the taste of plant-based meat and the fact that it isn't necessarily a healthier alternative than regular meat. Many plant-based meat alternatives are comparable to their real meat counterparts in terms of nutritional content. The fact that the cost is more or less the same as that of meat decreases its attractiveness for consumers . – Guardian
“ If I spend money in a restaurant, and I'm a meat eater, why should I spend money on vegetable meat? I'd rather eat a real hamburge r, ”Katare said. “ It's a technology and it takes a long time for people to trust the technology and adopt it. I believe that vegetable meat is in this situation. Maybe technology will improve and health will improve ”.
Furthermore, the actual market may be much smaller than previously thought – which coincides with a "growing cultural resistance to its" woke "," politically correct "status – even among people who are serious about reducing the consumption of Red meat.
For example, when Cracker Barrel announced the addition of Impossible Foods sausage to its menu over the summer, it faced fierce opposition via social media.
As the Guardian notes, McDonald's McPlant burger was shelved last month because US burger eaters did not intend to switch to the vegetarian alternative. Many other companies in the sector have terminated their plant-based meat introduction programs because they are not welcome.
This is a dramatic turnaround. Just two years ago, Beyond Meat, its competitor Impossible Foods, and the vegetable meat industry in general seemed poised to start a food revolution. Instead, consumers are deciding otherwise.
It seems that real meat is still preferred to fake one.
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The article The sales of "Fake meat" are falling: the economic crisis begins to eat the vegetarian comes from ScenariEconomici.it .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/cadono-le-vendite-della-carne-finta-la-crisi-economica-inizia-a-mangiarsi-il-vegetariano/ on Tue, 27 Sep 2022 08:00:31 +0000.