PHW presents new veggie study

Every second person has a flexitarian diet or does not eat meat at all / Sustainability, animal welfare and health aspects are the main reasons for not eating meat / Substitute products should be free of genetic engineering, palm fat and flavor enhancers / When flexitarians eat meat, then poultry is the most popular. Meatless burgers, veggie cold cuts or even fish substitutes: More and more companies are offering food made from alternative protein sources. The PHW Group has been active in this segment since 2015 and recently added the new Green Legend product line to its range. But how many people eat a meatless diet and why do flexitarians, vegetarians or vegans choose not to eat meat? Which meat substitute is the most popular and what is important when buying it? In its first representative veggie study, the PHW group examined these questions, among other things, and presented the results in line with the "Veganuary". For this purpose, the opinion research institute forsa surveyed 16 people from Germany in the period from November 27 to 2020, 1.003.

Flexitarians are on the rise
In Germany, every second person (53%) deliberately avoids meat products at least sometimes. Here the motto applies to the majority: flexibility. 44% of respondents would describe their own diet as flexitarian, while 8% see themselves as vegetarian and only 1% as vegan.

• Especially between the genders differences can be observed. Around two-thirds (63%) of the women surveyed at least sometimes eat meatless, while 43% of men do so.
• Regardless, it plays Age a role for eating habits: The proportion of vegans and vegetarians is particularly high among the younger generations and steadily decreases with age. For example, 18% of the 29 to 14 year olds surveyed eat vegetarian and 3% vegan, while only 60% of the 75 to 5 year olds describe themselves as vegetarian and the vegans are statically negligible (0%). On the other hand, flexitarianism becomes more popular with advancing age: 18% of 29 to 35 year olds are flexitarian, while the proportion among 60 to 75 year olds rises to 55%.
• Regional there are only minor differences, overall the distribution is balanced: in the East, the proportion of flexitarians (41%) as well as vegetarians (5%) is lowest, while in the middle (flexitarians: 46%; vegetarians: 9%; Vegans: 1%) and in the south of the republic (flexitarians: 45%; vegetarians: 10%; vegans: 1%) the proportion of this group is slightly higher.
• In addition, the town size positive with the proportion of vegetarians, with increasing population more people describe their diet as vegetarian (>20.000 inhabitants: 6%; <500.000 inhabitants: 12%). This can be an important indication for the food trade and for its assortment design. There are no major differences between urban and rural flexitarians (>20.000 inhabitants: 45%; <500.000 inhabitants: 42%).
• In the net household income there are at most minor differences in terms of not eating meat: The proportion of flexitarians is similar in households with a net income of < 2.000 euros (40%), between 2.000 and 4.000 euros (46%) and > 4.000 euros (41%). The same applies to vegans (< 2.000 euros: 3%, 2.000 – 4.000 euros: 0%, 4.000 euros: 1%). Clearer differences can only be observed among vegetarians: 14% of households with an income < 2.000 euros describe themselves as vegetarians, while 7% do so in the other two levels.
• Smaller households with 1 or 2 people are more flexible (44% and 47% respectively) and vegetarian (10% and 9% respectively) in their diet than multi-person households with 4 or more people. Flexitarians are underrepresented at 37% and vegetarians at 5% compared to the average in these household sizes.

That's why there's no meat on the plate
“And why do you eat no meat?” – the veggie study also provides answers to this question. Three main reasons emerge: 60% of those surveyed each state sustainability and animal welfare, while health aspects are decisive for 49%. Demographic characteristics also play a role here: the younger generation of 18 to 29-year-olds mainly cite sustainability and environmental protection as reasons for a vegetarian or vegan diet (80%). With advancing age, however, the health aspects become more decisive; for 60 to 75 year olds, these represent the largest item at 64%. There are also different priorities between the sexes when it comes to abstaining from meat. If men (59%) and women (60%) still agree on the topic of sustainability, the main reasons for not eating meat are animal welfare for women (65% to 52%) and health for men (55% to 45 %) justified. Occasionally, motivation from third parties such as a partner or other household members (15%) was given as the reason for not eating meat. This was the reason given by 23% men and 9% women. Taste (4%), little desire for meat (2%), habit (2%) or price (1%) were rarely mentioned.

These meat substitutes are the most popular
Proteins are one of the essential nutrients and are part of a balanced diet, even with a flexitarian, vegetarian or vegan diet. Meat substitute products from alternative protein sources are not only similar to meat in terms of protein content, but are now in no way inferior to the original in terms of taste and feel. Half of the flexitarians, vegetarians and vegans surveyed already use substitute products in their diet. The most popular are the inexpensive tofu (22%), the versatile, meatless minced meat (20%) and the cold cut products (18%). Substitutes for schnitzel (14%), burgers (13%), sausages (13%), meatballs (12%), nuggets (12%), sliced ​​meat/strips (11%) and bratwurst follow with similar popularity (9%). These new meat substitutes tend to be more popular with female, young and urban sections of the population. Flexitarians, vegetarians and vegans primarily use plant-based protein sources such as potatoes (77%), nuts and seeds (77%) or rice (63%), which tend to be more common in the older population groups, in order to cover the protein requirements of meat-free food without substitute products to be favoured. This is followed by peas (49%), wheat (30%), corn (27%), soybeans (23%), mushroom cultures (18%) and fava beans (13%), which, with the exception of the mushroom cultures, tend to be primarily selected by younger people . Soy in particular as a well-known alternative source of protein is particularly popular with young people at 38% and with vegans and vegetarians at 44%. For flexitarians, on the other hand, soy is not the preferred source of protein with only 18%. The most popular among flexitarians are potatoes (79%), nuts and seeds (76%) or rice (65%) and peas (47%). If flexitarians do eat meat, they prefer poultry products (78%). This is followed by fish (70%), beef (68%), pork (45%) and lamb (26%).

It depends on the ingredients
When alternative products are put on the plate, the motto "meat substitutes are not equal to meat substitutes" applies to consumers when making purchases. Around three quarters of those questioned (72%) think it is at least important that the products are manufactured without genetic engineering. Close behind, with similar values, are the properties free from palm fat (very important: 33%; important: 35%) and without flavor enhancers (very important: 37%; important: 29%). The fact that the substitute products are completely vegan, i.e. contain no animal components such as eggs at all, is important or very important for more than a quarter of consumers (26%) in their purchasing decision. For about a third of those surveyed in southern Germany (32%) and among the 18 to 29 year olds (34%), this plays a major role, and for the majority of vegetarians and vegans (79%), the complete renunciation of animal ingredients is crucial . For almost a fifth of those surveyed, soy should not be included in the meat substitute products (19%). The older people (28%), the rural population (28%) and southern Germans (27%) see it that way. The fact that the products are gluten-free is still important or very important to 14% of those surveyed. Around a quarter of older people (24%) consider this aspect important or very important.

*The PHW Group commissioned the market research institute forsa to carry out this survey. A total of 1.003 people aged between 18 and 75 in Germany were interviewed for the study. The survey period was from November 16th to 27th, 2020.

More information about the PHW Group and the Green Legend range can be found at www.phw-gruppe.de and www.green-legend.com.