Industry implications of evolving consumer behaviour — Deep dive 3: Animal and plant-based proteins

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This report is part 3 of 3 "Deep Dives," which are connected to a main report entitled Industry Implications of Evolving Consumer Behaviour (PDF), partially funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

This "Deep Dive (PDF)" explores consumer interest in protein consumption, including both animal and plant-based proteins. It builds on trends driving consumer demand for proteins, and identifies opportunities to improve consumer awareness of the value and quality of various types of protein.

The "Deep Dive" was developed through the AgriCommunication Initiative, to increase the sector's understanding of changes in consumer demand. This supports ongoing dialogue among governments and industry on how to best position the sector to respond to these trends.

Consumer interest in protein

Consumers have a wide variety of protein sources to choose from. In recent years, there has been a pronounced interest among Canadian consumers in the quality and quantity of protein that they eat, including both animal and plant sources for affordability, environmental, and animal welfare concerns

Many factors may be important to consumers when they are choosing between protein sources, including taste, the protein content in the food, the price of the product, the presence of additives and preservatives, ease of preparation, product packaging and size, and the amount of fat in the product.

Plant and animal protein consumption

Most Canadians eat both animal and plant-based protein sources, and many express a preference for animal-based proteins:

Almost half (49%) said that they preferred animal proteins^{note 1}
28% said they liked both animal and plant-based equally^{note 1}
12% expressed a preference for plant-based proteins^{note 1}

Overall, meat consumption has been generally the same over the past 10 years^{note 4}, with some variations in the types of meat consumed:

65% of those who reduced meat consumption said they reduced beef consumption^{note 2}
Less than 50% who reduced meat consumption said they reduced pork, chicken, and fish or seafood^{note 2}
17% reported having increased their consumption of plant-based meat alternatives^{note 3}

Affordability

Changes in meat consumption is one of the more common ways that consumers seek to reduce overall food spending:

86% named cost or price as a reason for declining meat consumption^{note 2}
90% of those aged 55 and up who reported changes in meat consumption said it was due to price or cost^{note 2}
66% of those aged 18 to 34 who reported changes in meat consumption said it was due to price or cost^{note 2}

Environment and animal welfare

Consumers are open to improving environmental performance through greenhouse gas emission reductions, reduced food waste, and increased wildlife habitat:

29% reported having decreased meat consumption for environmental reasons^{note 2}

Animal welfare was cited as a reason for decreased meat consumption by:

23% of consumers who reported having eaten less meat in the past year^{note 2}
33% of those aged 18 to 34^{note 2}
20% of those aged 55 and up^{note 2}

Implications for industry

Consumers are looking to eat more protein; there is room to create plant-based proteins, while holding animal protein production constant
The rise in plant-based meat and dairy alternatives may present opportunities for food manufacturers, suppliers of ingredients, and Canadian crop growers
Additional product innovation to increase the plant protein content of familiar foods will likely be well-received by Canadians. Consumers may also appreciate efforts to make unfamiliar foods easier to prepare
Animal welfare, along with price and health concerns, is one of the main factors driving young adults to reduce or forego meat consumption, which may impact their purchasing decisions in future years

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