Vegan and vegetarian products are not exclusively for those who follow these diets. For instance, meat substitutes producers target meat consumers with products that imitate the original taste and texture of meat products. The United States is one of the most developed markets for vegan and vegetarian meat substitutes. While
is far ahead of the global average. In the vegan food products market, meat substitutes, despite the attention given to them in the press, are only the second biggest item. The
is 1.27 billion U.S. dollars larger than the one for
Vegans and vegetarians
In the
United States, roughly five percent of the population is vegetarian. This is about the same level as in other Western countries such as Germany. This does not include the number of pescetarians, who add fish to an otherwise vegetarian diet. About
four percent of the U.S. population follows a vegan diet. It is noteworthy that the number of vegans is so small, that surveys have a hard time clearly showing how many vegans there are. Even slight deviations can result in the share of vegans being halved or doubled. Among younger consumers, both
veganism and
vegetarianism are more widespread than among older consumers.
Consumer motivations
Animal welfare influences the purchase decisions of Americans. Close to half of U.S. consumers stated that if a food product is
produced with animal welfare in mind, it influences their purchase decision. However, the leading
reason to follow any diet or eating pattern in the U.S. is the protection of one's health. Health benefits are also the leading
reason for consumers to eat meat substitutes. Vegetarians, whether former or current, also name this more often than other reasons as an explanation of
why they are or were following a vegetarian diet. Among those who are not vegetarians,
health benefits are seen as the most compelling reason to become vegetarian.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no
liability for the information given being complete or correct.
Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date
data than referenced in the text.
