How Can Plant-Based Vegan Food Win More Consumer Favor?

Over the past two years, plant-based food consumption across the EU grew by 49%, reaching total sales of 3.6 billion euros. As the variety of plant-based dairy and plant-based meat expands, food manufacturers are seeking to gain a larger market share. Plant-based food is on the rise, but manufacturers are far from holding the majority of market share. So how should plant-based food companies attract more consumers to buy plant-based food?

Taste

Among the factors influencing consumers' enjoyment of a product, taste has always been considered the most important. A recent survey by the International Food Information Council Foundation supports this view: 88% of respondents said taste is the main reason they buy a product.

In addition, other factors - from environmental sustainability to animal welfare concerns and nutrition - are also encouraging consumers to make changes. But some industry insiders say consumers' final choice still depends on "taste cues." Research shows that if a plant-based product's taste meets consumer needs, nearly 70% of people will buy it repeatedly.

Food manufacturers need to find products whose taste and texture match those of animal products; these are problems industry players must solve.

Color

But in today's world of social media and digital content, consumers increasingly view photos of food through social, advertising, and online platforms. Color is also a factor influencing consumers' purchase of plant-based food.

Besides taste, consumers are also attracted by the appearance of food. Consumers want food that looks beautiful and tastes delicious. When the taste is good, people repeat purchases, but note that the first purchase impulse comes from the product's visual appeal. Today, people even buy food just to take photos and share them. Excellent visual appeal helps a lot, and color is crucial to the development of the next generation of plant-based food.

Price

According to a survey by the Yale Program on Climate Change and the EarthDay Network, nearly 60% of respondents believe plant-based food is more expensive, and 63% said they would switch from animal-based food to a plant-based diet if plant-based food were a little cheaper. About half of consumers said a plant-based meal is more expensive than a meat-based meal.

If plant-based manufacturers want to make their products more popular and encourage more flexitarians and meat-eaters to consume plant-based products, then the price of plant-based food needs to be more attractive.

In addition, professionals believe that vegetarian and vegan products should not be placed in invisible corners of the supermarket, nor listed separately at the bottom of restaurant menus. If we put them in a prominent place, if they look attractive and cool, and if consumers can afford them, then people will consume them.