Vegetarian Food Products or Substitutes

A survey of consumers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Argentina, and China reveals that consumers are most concerned with taste, quality, and the price of food; health is also important, particularly in China. Consumers predict that what we eat will be different in 2020, and while they would like to consume more local foods, they expect that more of their food will be imported.

This Canadian study sought to identify the attitudes, health-related behavior, "social adjustment," and perceptions of personal health among both vegetarian and omnivorous teenagers, with the goal of determining specific characteristics related to vegetarianism.

This thesis surveys the current vegetarian product market – including both the supply and the demand – in order to determine the development tendencies of vegetarian products and of meat alternatives in particular. The goal is to determine what market potential can be derived from the ongoing changes in consumer behaviour.

This primer report from the Institute of Food Technologists describes the history (and predicts the future) of meat analogs, including offering insights into their appeal to consumers and thoughts on technological improvements in production and formulation of meat alternatives.

A Vegetarian Food Industry Association will be set up in China this year to combat the use of animal material in vegetarian products, according to the China Food Culture Research Organisation. (Summary excerpted from article)

No longer considered a "hippie fad," the vegan lifestyle is translating into significant business opportunities for some local entrepreneurs. According to this article, the $28 billion vegan market results partly from growth in the natural-products industry, which is currently estimated at $50 billion per year.

The availability of meat analogs or substitutes has grown considerably in recent years and these products now offer greater diversity for consumers who are enjoying the improvements in appearance, taste, and texture compared with previously available meat analogs.

Sales of soy beverages and other dairy alternative products in the United States grew by 19.3% from 2006 to 2007, to reach $1.7 billion.

This article presents a glossary of "green" consumer technology, including some with particular relevance to animal-related issues: community-supported agriculture, biomimicry, freegan, locavore, slow food, and others.