Meat consumption never exactly went away. Of course, the vast majority of consumers still eat meat, even in countries with the largest percentages of vegetarians and vegans.
But as the numbers of vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians proliferated, and plant-based meat and dairy alternatives gained prominence on the market, it looked like traditional meat had lost some of its appeal.
It isn’t as simple as this, however. Not all markets are turning away from meat.
UK consumers are eating more meat
Recent data from market research company Nielsen IQ (NIQ) has revealed that sales of traditional meat has increased in the UK. Sales of fresh meat, for example, have increased by £481.3m, and sales of fresh poultry by £247.6m.
Katrina Bishop, UK LEAN and thought leadership activation manager at NIQ, suggests that this is due to an increasing consumer demand for fresh food and a distrust of processed and ultra-processed foods.
“They’re looking at processed food. There’s a lot of negativity around that. They want to know what those ingredients are that are going into it. So for health reasons, a lot of people are turning to scratch cooking.”
“They’re looking at processed food. There’s a lot of negativity around that. They want to know what those ingredients are that are going into it.”
Katrina Bishop
The switch is also driven by economic factors. “Consumers are finding times tough at the minute,” says Bishop. “Around half of the country is affected by cost-of-living pressures.”
Fresh meat goes further, she suggests, and can be used for more meals. “People are trying to budget and stretch those meals, stretch that food as far as possible.”
This doesn’t mean that there are fewer vegetarians and vegans. Far from it. In fact, she says, it’s surprising that meat sales are trending upwards at a time when meat reduction trends, such as meat-free Mondays, are popular.
The meat-free category has seen a reduction of £37.1m in sales, but, suggests Bishop, this may be linked to cooking methods rather than simply people eating more meat.
“People are becoming a bit more sophisticated with their cooking and being able to create some of those kind of products themselves.”
European consumers continue to cut down on meat
In Europe, however, trends are not quite the same. On the one hand, European consumers are also showing interest in fresh food, which includes meat, explains Bishop.
However, overall meat consumption across Europe is still declining. For example, according to Mintel, 53% of French consumers and 54% of Italian consumers have reduced their red meat and poultry consumption in the last six months.
Meat reduction among these consumers is often about saving money, with 42% of French and 34% of Italians citing this as their reason.
Increased concerns around sustainability have also contributed to this trend.
“Across Europe, there is a growing focus on ethical production and sustainability in meat and poultry. For instance, animal welfare claims in poultry product launches have increased, accounting for 27% of launches in the past year. Additionally, there is a trend towards environmentally friendly packaging and sustainability claims in meat and poultry products,” explains Mikolaj Kaczorowski, innovation analyst at Mintel.
Environmental benefits is cited as a reason by 40% of Italian consumers, and 34% of French consumers.
