Report: 10% of new food products in the EU is vegetarian

As many as 10 percent of food and beverage products launched on the European market is labeled as vegetarian, according to a report compiled by Mintel for BZ WBK. This was the 3^rd most popular distinction (ex aequo with “gluten-free”) after “no artificial additives/preservatives (15 percent) and “organic (12 percent). Experts point out that pan-European dietary trends - vegetarian, vegan and flexitarian diets, are noteworthy for domestic food producers looking for new development opportunities. “The market for vegan and vegetarian products is extremely absorptive and active. Within two years, in Germany, as many as 32 percent of new products were vegan, and as many as 11 percent of new products launched in the UK were vegetarian,” said the senior food and drink analyst from Mintel Honorata Jarocka. The strength of these trends in Germany was highlighted by the Happycow.net portal which ranked Berlin as the most friendly city for vegans last year. Warsaw was ranked third. “In Poland, there is a boom for vegetarian/vegan products and dishes, so investments in manufacturing such products are also worth taking into account in the context of the internal market and the changing food habits of Poles,” said Food and FMCG director at BZ WBK Renata Dutkiewicz. Furthermore, Germany is the largest recipient of Polish food exports in general. In 2017, Poland sold products worth almost €6.5 billion to this market. The largest part of vegan novelties introduced in Europe between October 2015 and September 2017 are meat substitutes, but direct statements of this type were also used very often in the category of snack bars and juices. In contrast, when talking about positioning consistent with the vegetarian diet, the most novelty of this type appeared in the examined period in the category of cakes and other sweet pastries, the report said.