How often do you read an article with literally jaw-dropping stats? Well we've definitely got one for you today.
Try these on for size, from my colleague T.L. Stanley's fascinating look at how the meat-alternative industry is booming as meatpacking has faltered this spring:
• A 454% increase in sales of plant-based meat alternatives in one week of March compared to the same week in 2019. (Beef was up 100%, with both segments benefitting from the home cooking boom in quarantine.)
• One of the leading faux-meat brands, Beyond, saw 233% year-over-year growth in one month as shelter-in-place orders went into effect.
• 4,133%: That's how much consumer interest in vegetarianism has gone up in March 2020 over March 2019, per analytics firm Lotame.
• A mind-boggling 50,910%: How much consumer interest has risen in pescatarianism, per the same study.
• $1 billion: That's how big the plant-based meat alternative industry is expected to get this year.
If you've found yourself eating meat alternatives or generally becoming more flexitarian, you're clearly not alone.
But how are faux-meat marketers making the most of it, especially given the negative news around meatpacking plants (which have proven to be hotspots for Covid-19 outbreaks, leading to mass euthanasia as the supply chain was disrupted)?
They're taking the high road for now, focusing on their own product benefits and growing sense of community rather than attacking their $50 billion Goliath of an enemy in meatpacking.
You can learn a lot more in our article, exclusively available to Adweek Pro subscribers. (If you're not one already, you definitely should be. See below for a handy link for our best current offer.)
So what meat alternatives have you tried? Have you stuck with any? Let me know at the email below or @Griner on Twitter.
(Fwiw I've been cooking Beyond burgers at home and grabbing Burger King's Impossible Whopper in the rare moments I'm out of the house, but I'm always down for trying other emerging options. So let me know!)
David Griner
Creative and Innovation Editor, Adweek
David.Griner@Adweek.com
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