More data has emerged to sharpen the consumer habits behind the plant-based phenomenon. 53{85424e366b324f7465dc80d56c21055464082cc00b76c51558805a981c8fcd63} of respondents said they liked the taste of the plant-alternatives and 47{85424e366b324f7465dc80d56c21055464082cc00b76c51558805a981c8fcd63} believe that plant alternatives are better for the environment than meat. 

New research by the International Food Information Council Foundation(IFIC) examined 1,000 respondents’ insights into plant-based alternatives perceived health profile, environmental impact and how they choose to try them over meat products.

More data has emerged to sharpen the consumer habits behind the plant-based phenomenon. While only 61{85424e366b324f7465dc80d56c21055464082cc00b76c51558805a981c8fcd63} of the survey respondents self-identified as omnivores, a full 49{85424e366b324f7465dc80d56c21055464082cc00b76c51558805a981c8fcd63} said they had tried plant-based meat alternatives. Consumers reported that “liking to try new foods,” was the main reason behind trying the plant-based alternatives, the second reason was ” I’ve been hearing a lot about them.”

IFIC found that when it comes to plant-based food, nutrition facts are more important to consumers than ingredients. Consumer perception in plant-based foods is that they are healthier, whether or not the ingredients list reflects that.

Kris Sollid, a registered dietitian for IFIC and a researcher on the study told Forbes, “I know that, anecdotally, I’ve observed the explosion in the meat aisle of my local grocery store…but I wasn’t sure how that translates to people having actually tried them.”

53{85424e366b324f7465dc80d56c21055464082cc00b76c51558805a981c8fcd63} of respondents said they liked the taste of the plant-alternatives when asked about their favourite part of eating the product. And 47{85424e366b324f7465dc80d56c21055464082cc00b76c51558805a981c8fcd63} believe that plant alternatives are better for the environment than animal meat.  Sollid said that, “when we got to the environment question…it was pretty overwhelming.”

IFIC predicted that sustainability and climate change would be “two food trends” for 2020.

Plant-based diets continue to increase in popularity as dairy producers file for bankruptcy and meat-alternative companies like Impossible Foods continue to release new products.

Original source: www.onegreenplanet.org