America's new eating habits

New research has shown Americans’ eating habits have become more influenced by ethics and sustainability over the past year: nearly three-quarters (71%) say they have paid more attention than ever to food provenance such as food labels and country of origin since the start of the pandemic.

 Two-thirds (68%) suggest they are now eating more organic food and a similar number (69%) say they’re choosing more ethically-farmed meat and fish, such as free-range poultry and MSC-certified fish. In addition, 65% are choosing more alt-protein in their diet, such as soya bean, plant-based meat and pea protein.

 A quarter (26%) say they will now always choose less-polluting food types, and so permanently reduce their meat and dairy consumption.

 It also revealed what Americans think the agricultural sector needs to prioritize in order to meet its environmental responsibilities: 37% think decreasing the use of pesticides is the number one consideration, while 28% see the main focus as reducing water use through smart irrigation, rainwater recycling and recovery and other methods.

Graeme McCracken, managing director at Proagrica, says: “Diets were already changing before the pandemic, but the past 12 months have seen a huge shift in Americans’ eating habits. There is more focus than ever before on where food comes from and how it was made and consumers won’t stand for food that lacks ethical and sustainable credentials.

Businesses in the food and agriculture industries need to actively show how they are working together to improve their operational processes. They need to be able to demonstrate that every single grain grown, fish caught and steak produced meets the exacting standards of an increasingly well-informed public," said Graeme McCracken, managing director of Proagrica.

Thankfully, and reinforced in every industry conference, product launch and data insight, this focus on stewardship and standards is core to everything our industry is delivering.”

The study reveals that two-fifths (39%) of US consumers have considered going vegetarian or vegan since the pandemic began.

Nearly a fifth (17%) ate less meat and 28% upped their alt-protein (such as soya and plant-based) during 2020.

 Overall, 20% of consumers identified health concerns as the primary driver for these choices, and males are twice as likely as females to become vegan or vegetarian for this reason. 

“From personal experience, we know the pandemic is changing our attitudes to food. This is most apparent in issues relation to health; the coronavirus has thrown into stark relief the need to eat healthily to stay healthy – and this extends beyond Veganuary," says Graeme McCracken.

“What’s perhaps surprising is the fact it’s men who are leading the charge - and it isn’t just intention. 42% of men have increased the amount of vegetarian or vegan food they consume over the last year, double the figure for women (21%). in fact, nearly a third of women (30%) suggest they would never eliminate meat from their diets - compared to just 19% of men. This goes to show that we should never fall back on lazy assumptions.”

 The findings suggest dietary change is set to accelerate further if the pandemic extends further into 2021 and beyond. In this outcome, nearly half (44%) of consumers suggested they would reduce their meat consumption in favor of vegetarian or vegan options. Again, there’s a significant gender divide apparent, 55% of men indicate they would make the switch, as compared to 35% of women.

These attitudes are apparent in relation to both grocery shopping and eating out. 67% of males are ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to choose plant-based products when they are available on the menu at fast-food restaurants, compared to 46% of women. Overall, only a fifth (20%) of all consumers would avoid plant-based options.

 While health is the primary motivation behind dietary change, the cost of meat is not far behind - cited as an issue by 28% of the sample. Sustainability is also rising up the consumer agenda and over a quarter (27%) of respondents are concerned about the environmental impacts of meat. Attitudes are borne out by shopping trends; a quarter are opting for less polluting food types and nearly a third (29%) are buying local produce to reduce food miles.

 While COVID-19 has clearly been the driving force in persuading many to change their diets, there are a whole raft of reasons for people choosing to reduce their meat intake. While there is clearly some crossover in audiences, the combined factors suggest changing dietary choices offer a real chance for plant-based foods to become a mainstream concern over the course of this year.

 Also, as shoppers are thinking more closely about issues such as provenance and food miles, the spotlight will fall on retailers and the hospitality sector to demonstrate transparency from seed to fork.”