20% of Spain's population is vegetarian, vegan, or pescetarian - ie people who eat no meat other than fish. In 2014, average consumption of meat per inhabitant reached 52 kg, while in 2018 it dropped to 47 kg.
According to a study of Ipsos Global Advisor entitled 'New food trends worldwide', Spanish people are willing to reduce, or even eliminate the consumption of meat from their diet. 20% of Spaniards are vegetarians, vegans, or pescetarians. Data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, shows that there has been a decrease in meat consumption in Spain in the last four years, as it went from 52 kg in 2014 to 47 kg in 2018.
Deusto Salud hasn't found a reason to explain this trend but they have stated that it is a reality that affects society. These new habits are increasingly growing and nutrition professionals must offer people solutions to these options, so that the suppression of meat is accompanied by a balanced diet.
The main reasons people decide to have a diet with no meat are ethical. 60% of the people said these were their main reasons to stop eating meat, while 27% of them stated they did it for sustainability issues, and 17% for health reasons.
According to data from The Green Revolution, prepared by the Lantern consultancy, the majority of vegetarian and vegan consumers are young urban women. Two out of every three followers of this trend are women. They are usually under 35 years old and 52% of them live in a population of more than 100,000 inhabitants.
This new trend is producing a great business opportunity. In the last 5 years the number of businesses dedicated to this type of food has doubled in Spain. It is a business that moves 4 billion dollars a year throughout the world and that grows at a 6% rate per year, according to the study.
Source: distribucionactualidad.com
