Taste of Spring Plant Based Foods and Beverages

Plant-based Beverages and Foods

Have Become a Kitchen Staple in Many Homes, and an Entrée and Ingredient Option at Foodservice Outlets.

CHICAGO /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The recent buzz about plant-based foods at retail and foodservice has many questioning if interest in plant-based foods is a fad or a long-term trend. Plant-based is a small but expanding category, and as more innovations and products become available and accessible, consumer interest broadens. According to The NPD Group*, about 25 million consumers eat plant-based beverages and foods occasionally or regularly, consuming these foods as part of a meal or as an ingredient. About one in five consumers say that they want more plant-based foods in their diet.

When it comes to eating plant-based foods, consumers are definite in which types of plantbased beverages and food they want to eat at home and which they eat from a restaurant or foodservice outlet. Although drinking dairy milk at home is still a more prominent behavior, about 93% of meals or snacks that include milk alternatives are consumed at home, and 7% are at/from a restaurant or foodservice outlet. Consumers eat more plant-based meat, poultry, and seafood analogues from restaurants because these foods are prepared in the same way animal protein menu items are, which means the consumer isn’t sacrificing taste for what they believe to be a healthier option.

At retail, the total volume sales of milk alternatives were down 3% in the 52 weeks ending January 1, 2023, compared to a year ago, according to IRI. Almond and coconut milk alternatives were among the top declining products.