According to The Economist, a whopping 25 percent of Americans 25 to 34 years old identify as vegan or vegetarian. And U.S. sales of vegan foods rose 10 times faster from January to June 2018 than food sales as a whole, a spike largely attributable to millennials and Gen Z members, who are increasingly switching to a vegan lifestyle.
Author John Parker writes:
Interest in a way of life in which people eschew not just meat and leather, but all animal products including eggs, wool, and silk is soaring, especially among millennials.
Parker writes:
If plant-based meats take off, they could become a transformative technology, improving Westerners’ protein-heavy diets, reducing the environmental hoofprint of animal husbandry, and perhaps even cutting the cost of food in poor countries.
The retail data collected by Nielsen and the Plant Based Foods Association reveals that plant-based food sales overall, including sales of meat, dairy, and egg alternatives, such as Beyond Meat, nut milks, and dairy-free ice cream, rose 20 percent over the previous year to more than $3.3 billion. The days of the plant-based fringe market are over.
Additionally, the study found that vegan milk sales had risen 9 percent over the previous year to $1.6 billion, creamers had skyrocketed a whopping 131 percent at $109 million, cheeses had gone up 43 percent at $124 million, and yogurts had grown 55 percent to $162 million in sales.
Parker also points out the school districts that served vegan meals during the 2018–2019 academic year and the American Medical Association, which urged hospitals to serve more plant-based foods. Even government officials will discuss veganism as the European Commission begins to formally define vegan and vegetarian food for legal certainty.
Fortunately, with the growing demand for plant-based options, this is the perfect time to switch to a compassionate vegan lifestyle.
Join the millions around the world fighting to protect animals by choosing vegan meals. Get your FREE Vegetarian Starter Guide today!