Pandemic Propels Plant-Based Market

Pre-pandemic, plant-based everything was the hottest trend in food & beverage, and a panoply of brand launches in this space was expected during the (canceled) 2020 Natural Products Expo West. Along with increasing consumer beliefs that plant-based foods are healthier for them and the planet, brands are racing to deliver solutions across meal occasions.

As the pandemic drives dramatic shifts in consumer behavior, we’ve been uncovering and reporting on emerging trends and opportunity areas.  Some pre-existing trends, like plant-based foods, are becoming more prevalent. Consumers are increasingly emphasizing their own long-term health, looking for more proactive ways to keep it in check, and are even more worried about the health of the planet as a whole, even despite evidence of cleaner air and water as shelter-in-place has reduced pollutants.

Within the plant-based meat trend space, a few new themes are emerging; (1) forced choice of plant-based offerings caused consumers to try these options for the first time, and (2) magnified consumer concern over animal meat safety due to reports of virus spread within processing plants. 

Forced Choice of Plant-Based Offerings

With initial hoarding trends and now a meat shortage crisis, consumers are being forced to purchase plant-based meat offerings (something they might not have entertained pre-pandemic) in order to get any kind of protein into their diet. As these products become more widely available, barriers to trial are removed at the same time that consumers are more open to try plant-based offerings in multiple settings. 

“These two factors — spot shortages of animal products in stores and a growing awareness of the problems with our animal agriculture system — are likely driving an increase in retail sales of plant-based meat products during the pandemic. According to a recent Nielsen report, demand for these products has increased 278 percent since this time last year.” –Vox Article

Increasing Concern over Meat Safety

As the working conditions at many traditional meat processing plants make it very difficult for workers to social distance, there has been a large uptick in the amount of coronavirus spread taking place within these plants. Consumers are more concerned than ever about the safety of the animal meat options they are choosing to purchase and consume. The coronavirus has elevated consumer awareness of viruses, in general, turning the attention of some to potential viruses in the meat and poultry they consume, whether real or perceived.

“Meat plant workers work shoulder to shoulder at a fast pace in poor conditions with little automation. Plant based meats are a lot easier to automate and they treat the workers better.” -Reddit User

Consumers are vocal online about these issues: concern for the cleanliness of meat processing plants and health of the workers; and, real shortages forcing consumers into options they wouldn’t normally choose. 

“Then I walked through the meat aisle. There was still plenty of beef and chicken to be had — but given that a live-animal market in China may have given rise to Covid-19 and that the giant factory farms that supply 99 percent of America’s meat are a pandemic risk too, meat just seemed very unappealing in that moment. Instead, I grabbed a package of Beyond Meat and went home.” -Vox Writer

Logically, we predict that the plant-based meat trend will continue, creating huge opportunities for brands —especially in food, beverage, and QSR—to innovate. One early adopter is Starbucks, which partnered with emerging brands Omnipork, Oatly, and BEYOND BEEF® to create a plant-based menu for its stores in China, its largest market. Launched in late April, the new GOOD GOOD menu is offered in all 3000+ Starbucks outlets in China.