Interest in meat-free products “waning”, says AHDB
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has revealed that in January 2024, meat-free products experienced less demand compared to last year.
The trade body said that in January 2023, it saw “poor performance” for both meat-free and dairy-free products compared to January 2022. It also said that a result of this was that retailers had attempted to “position plant-based products with health-focused messaging” within stores in 2024, rather than promoting Veganuary as a “standalone occasion” (IGD).
AHDB highlighted that cost-of-living concerns could be attributed to a “large proportion” of the 12.8% year-on-year (YoY) volume decline for meat-free products (Kantar, 3 w/e 21 Jan 2024), reasoning that it was a result of meat-free products being 3.3% more expensive than their animal product competitors.
“Retailers’ efforts to try and increase the pick-up of meat-free products during this health-focused months weren’t very successful”, said AHDB, reporting that the percentage of baskets with meat-free products fell 0.4% to 4.1% (Kantar, 3 w/e 21 Jan 2024). It said that this indicates that consumers’ interest in meat-free products “is waning despite attempts to market them as healthy following the indulgent Christmas period”.
Tom Price, retail and consumer insight analyst at AHDB, said: “Media coverage has recently focused in on the negative nutritional values of ultra-processed foods, which is putting many consumers off eating these products. This, alongside slowing inflation and the potential for real wages to grow in 2024, means health is becoming more of a priority for consumers.
“This provides an opportunity to promote the health benefits of meat and dairy to align with consumer values. AHDB continue to promote red meat and dairy as part of a healthy, balanced diet in our ‘Let’s Eat Balanced’ and ‘Love Pork’ campaigns, and our recent meat labelling research highlights the consumer desire to see meal inspiration, both on-pack and in-store, to give them confidence in their cooking.”
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