Healthy INSIDER Podcast 20: Plant-Based Foods Rising in Popularity

Data from SPINS puts the total market for plant-based foods, (excluding data from Whole Foods Market) at $3.61 billion in sales. In this episode, INSIDER Managing Editor Judie Bizzozero and Michele Simon, executive director, Plant Based Foods Association discuss factors driving growth in the plant-based foods sector; how food and beverage manufacturers are responding to increased demand for plant-based foods; and what’s on the horizon in terms of innovative products and trends for plant-based foods.

Judie Bizzozero, Content Director

June 1, 2016

Vegetarians used to be considered a very small percentage of the consumer market, but recent data suggests as much as 26 percent of consumers now fall into the category of “flexitarians”—individuals who prefer a more plant-based diet. Many consumers are making the switch due to health, ethical and environmental concerns; however, the food industry’s technological developments have made an impact by offering a greater variety of prepared vegetarian options in the form of shelf-stable, refrigerated and frozen products.

Data from SPINS puts the total market for plant-based foods, (excluding data from Whole Foods Market) at $3.61 billion in sales. The category includes plant-based versions of meat, tofu, milk, yogurt, cheese and cream, and has grown more than 8.7 percent over the last two years, while general food and beverage sector growth has been just 3.7 percent over the same period.

In this episode, INSIDER Managing Editor Judie Bizzozero and Michele Simon, executive director, Plant Based Foods Association discuss:

  • Factors driving growth in the plant-based foods sector

  • How food and beverage manufacturers are responding to increased demand for plant-based foods.

  • What’s on the horizon in terms of innovative products and trends for plant-based foods

Links and Resources:

Got feedback? Email Judie Bizzozero at [email protected]  or tweet to @NatProdINSIDER using #InsiderPodcast. For a complete library of podcasts, download the Healthy INSIDER Podcast app on iTunes. Michele Simon can be reached at [email protected] or www.plantbasedfoods.org.

About the Author

Judie Bizzozero

Content Director, Informa Markets Health & Nutrition

Judie Bizzozero oversees food and beverage content strategy and development for the Health & Nutrition group at Informa Markets (which acquired VIRGO in 2014), including the Food & Beverage Insider, Natural Products Insider and SupplySide/Food ingredients North America brands. She reports on market trends, science-based ingredients, and challenges and solutions in the development of healthy foods and beverages. Bizzozero graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

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