Page 30 - The Five Forces of Everything

ILLUSTRATIONS

MEAT AND DAIRY ALTERNATIVES A Tale of Two Approaches

HAS VEGAN BEEN SUPPLANTED? Go big and go early! Retailers across
the Western world are scrambling for
share in this high growth sector.
In May 2019, ‘Beyond Meat’, the
company behind The Beyond In the U.K., Marks & Spencer has put its
Burger, was valued at $3.8bn faith in plant power. The Plant Kitchen
as investors speculated on a packaging has been designed to communicate taste
plant-based future. and texture. The vegan symbol is deployed only as a
mark of reassurance.
‘Vegan’ remains one of the
most searched terms on Google
as more people wake up to the Meanwhile, rival chain Waitrose puts
impact that meat and dairy ‘Vegan’ front of house.
production has on our planet.
In our estimation, M&S packaging is best
‘Beyond Meat’ was valued at $3.8bn in May 2019 as So, are we all abandoning meat placed to appeal to both fl exitarians
investors speculated on a plant-based future. as the hype suggests? and vegans, so we will be following the
fortunes of these two ranges with keen
Recent fi gures for Europe and the U.S. suggest incidence rates of between interest.
2% and 6% for pure vegan diets. Hardly a revolution. And yet clearly
something is going on. That something is the rise of the fl exitarian.
Success Not Guaranteed
In the U.K., Mintel indicated that while 90% of consumers continued to
eat meat, 56% had consumed meat free meal options in the six months Despite huge interest, success is not guaranteed.
leading up to July 2018. In the U.S., 67% of consumers believed that meat In the U.K., Nestlé has reluctantly withdrawn its
is essential for a balanced diet, but 25% admitted to cutting down, rising Garden Gourmet range because of poor sales.
to one third of Millennials. It remains in stores across the rest of Europe
and the U.S.
And when asked about the future, an overwhelming majority of consumers
expressed belief in plant-based consumption as opposed to vegan. Much has been written about why this happened,
with one industry commentator convinced that
So, if you want to increase your chances of success, target the meat eater it is all down to the packaging’s dominant green
who wants to reduce their meat and dairy consumption. colour palette - which may have alienated
occasional meat eaters who seek reassurance
from more meat-like hues - blacks, reds etc.
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FORCE #2 OBSERVATIONS | IMPLICATIONS | ILLUSTRATIONS