25% of millennials find plant-based diets appealing

New research from Mintel has revealed that 25% of British Millenials say that the Covid-19 pandemic have made “plant-based diets more appealing” to them as they look to make permanent changes to their health and nutrition.

This trend doesn’t stop with millenials though, with 12% of all Brits and 22% of Londoners saying they were more interested in adopting a vegan or plant-based diet in the future.

This comes as Mintel research indicates there is a strong belief in the healing power of plants, as half of Brits believe plant and botanical ingredients can have medicinal benefits, such as treating ailments.

‘Five a day’ is a higher priority too, as a quarter (23%) of Brits say they are eating more fruit and vegetables since the start of the outbreak. Generation Z (aged 20 and under) (31%) and Millennials (21-40) (27%) are most likely to be keeping their fridges well-stocked with this healthy produce. Shining a light on citrus fruits in particular, two thirds (66%) of Brits believe consuming vitamin C helps support the immune system. Overall, almost two in five (37%) Brits say the COVID-19 outbreak has prompted them to add more nutrients that support the immune system to their diet.

Plant-based diets will continue to grow

Alex Beckett, Associate Director, Mintel Food & Drink, said, “People want the world to change for the better right now and they are searching for ways to show compassion. For consumers struggling to know how to make a positive difference, cutting out animal protein may be seen as a way of tackling the climate crisis, showing compassion for nature, and boosting their own nutrient intake.

“Even before the spread of COVID-19, we were seeing a growing interest in plant-based food and drink across global markets. It may well be that the pandemic is accelerating this trend. For example, in China, we’ve seen skyrocketing sales of the new plant-based meat options in KFC and Pizza Hut.”

The impact from the pandemic has also caused a shift towards longer-life food and drink:

“Before the outbreak, younger people generally opted for convenient, fresh food that didn’t take long to prepare. But under lockdown, with more time at home and no restaurants or cafes open for business, long-life food has had clear advantages. It doesn’t take up precious fridge space and lasts a good while, making it suitable for quarantine-living and resulting in fewer shopping trips. It’s affordable, often nutritious, and, in the case of tinned veg or fruit, suits our rekindled fondness for cooking from scratch.”