Plant-Based Meat and Dairy Landscape in the Slovak Republic
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PLANT-BASED MEAT AND DAIRY LANDSCAPE IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC Trends, products and consumer insights for 2020 CONTENT 3 Slovakia is opening up to its plant-based future 8 Plant-based alternatives to meat and meat products & sausages 9 Market overview 15 Opportunity to enter the market 16 Plant-based alternatives to milk and dairy products 17 Market overview 21 Opportunity to enter the market 22 Resources SLOVAKIA IS OPENING UP TO ITS PLANT-BASED FUTURE Plant nutrition is gaining popularity 64.3 kg of meat, since 2017 consump- among Slovak consumers. As in many tion has increased by 2.4%, growth has other countries, the initiators of the also been registered in the previous change are mainly young and highly ed- years. Although this is a significantly ucated people. However, the interest in lower consumption compared to neigh- reducing the consumption of meat and boring countries and Slovaks are char- animal products is growing in basically acterized by a lower level of meat con- all age groups. And the expanding range sumption, the Statistical Office points of plant products and alternatives on out that the differences are also due store shelves is reflected by that. to a different calculation methodology and, in fact, the consumption might be The most up-to-date overview of the slightly higher than that. Slovak consumer is provided by the Plant Nutrition in Slovakia survey, which was carried out for the “Jem pre Zem” More than 40% of consumers (translates as “I eat for the Earth”) proj- desire a change in their diet ect by the Focus agency at the end of According to the above-mentioned 2019. The analysis focused not only on survey by Focus, almost 60% of Slovaks how Slovaks approach plant nutrition, (59.1%) do not intend to give up meat but also what buying habits Slovak con- and animal products in the future. Half sumers have in various plant categories. a percent of the population eats pure- The results are in favor of the trend ly vegan, 3% choose a vegetarian diet of plant nutrition. Unlike, for example, and 14.7% of Slovaks reduce their con- Czech consumers, Slovaks are signifi- sumption of meat and animal products. cantly more inclined to plant-based In addition to that, as many as 22.7% diets and are willing to change their of survey respondents consider eating habits, reduce animal foods reducing the consumption of meat or eliminate them altogether from and animal products in their diet. their diets. If we look back a couple of years, to Despite that, Slovaks are meat lovers, 2016, when the Nielsen Admosphere similar to Czechs, but they consume sig- agency surveyed the number of vegans nificantly less meat compared to other in Slovakia in a sample of 500 online Central European countries. The data respondents, the results showed that of the Statistical Office of Slovakia for the Slovak internet population (approx- 2018 show that each Slovak consumed imately 3.7 million people) has 1% veg- PLANT-BASED MEAT AND DAIRY LANDSCAPE IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC | 2020 3 ans, 2% vegetarians and almost 11% of plant-based alternatives to meat or respondents reducing their meat con- dairy products, it is necessary to find sumption. According to Nielsen, these these products easily on store shelves. were probably the first figures about And Slovakia is not doing bad at all here, vegans in Slovakia. Expressed in num- global and local producers and retailers bers, in 2016 there were more than half are quickly reacting and bringing a more a million people in Slovakia looking for varied choice for those who already sustainable and responsible options for choose a purely plant-based diet and their diet, today it is significantly more. for those who are just slowly flirting with the idea of jumping on the plant- based trend as well. 14.7% of Women are leading the way in Slovaks reducing animal-based foods If we look at plant diet lovers from reduce their a gender perspective, women are clearly in the lead. More than half consumption (51.5%) of them in the Focus sur- vey said that they have already of meat reduced, or are currently reducing, their consumption of meat and ani- and animal mal products. Out of these, 0.4% were vegans, 4.9% were vegetarians, 20% products were already reducing their consump- tion and 26.2% were considering this step in their dietary preferences. Consumer interest in vegan, vegetarian Men are a little more conservative in or flexitarian diets was compared by their diet. 70.4% of Slovak men do not the Focus agency to the 2017 survey intend to change the animal component results, and the results clearly show that in their eating habits, as it is an integral the numbers of those who cut down on part of their diet. However, less than a meat and animal foods have increased third (29.6%) of men have already from 13.2% to 14.7%. and the number reduced or want to reduce their of those who consider such a change in consumption of meat and animal their diet increased even by more than products, with 0.7% being vegans, 5% - from 17.3 to 22.7%. 0.9% vegetarians, 9.1% of men already For Slovak consumers to have the reducing their consumption of animal motivation to try plant-based diets or products and almost a fifth (18.8%) con- PLANT-BASED MEAT AND DAIRY LANDSCAPE IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC | 2020 4 sidered reducing. sumption and 15.8% are considering it. Although plant-based eating is more the Education also plays a key role in the domain of women, in the end it may not growing interest in plant-based diets. It be as hopeless with men either, because is dominated mainly by consumers with women have a direct impact on the a university degree, 47.9% of them have composition of the family’s diet. With reduced, are reducing or plan to reduce varied and tasty plant-based foods, they their consumption of animal products. can play a crucial role in motivating men 1.5% of them eat vegan and 3.3% veg- in the future. etarian. Almost a fifth (18.3%) are re- ducing their consumption and almost a The change is brought mainly quarter (24.8%) are considering it. by the young generation Even the middle-age generation As in other countries, young consum- ers aged 18 to 24 are leading the way does not avoid a plant-based in reducing the consumption of animal diet products. Among them, almost a tenth A closer look at the older generation are vegetarians (9.5%) and another suggests that the willingness to change more than a fifth (21%) reduce their an- their eating habits is the lowest. In the imal consumption. However, if we look category 65+, however, 1.1% of consum- at the category of those who reduce or ers are vegans and 1.6% vegetarians, and are about to reduce their animal con- in addition to that, another 11% reduce sumption, the representation of age their consumption of meat and animal categories expands quite significantly to products. The proportion of vegans other age groups as well. It is far from in this age group is surprisingly higher the truth to say that only very young than in the 35-44 years group. We can people limit or would like to reduce hardly find vegans in the slightly “young- their consumption of animal products, er” older generation (55-64 years), not and that this is therefore a trend that many vegetarians (only half a percent), mainly affects one age group. It is also 12.5% are interested in reducing the reduced or wants to be reduced by consumption of animal products and consumers in the age category of 25- 23.7% are considering it. Consumers 34 years and 35-44 years. The biggest from the 45-54 age group are consid- change, however, is brought by the ering to reduce their consumption the youngest generation. Almost half of the most, while 11.4% have already reduced students are reducing or considering it. Although the survey did not exam- to reduce their consumption of animal ine the main motives of consumers to products. Out of these, 8.6% are veg- change their behavior, it can be esti- etarians, 23.7% are reducing their con- mated that it is mainly influenced by an PLANT-BASED MEAT AND DAIRY LANDSCAPE IN THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC | 2020 5 interest in healthier eating, given that at this age people begin to experience While in 2010 the media dealt the first health problems, often caused mainly with the explanation by poor diets and over-consumption of of both concepts, i.e. what animal products. “Habit is an iron shirt” veganism and vegetarianism as we say in Czech and people do not mean and what the differences change their eating habits over night. are between them, in recent The growing number of those who eat years the topics have become purely vegan or vegetarian, those who are already reducing their consumption more in-depth and are and especially those who are consider- mentioned in a broader context. ing it suggests that the direction to a plant-based future in Slovakia has a very Both topics are most mentioned in con- good and solid foundation. nection with a healthy lifestyle, but also in regards to the offer of restaurants or More than 2,400 mentions in products. Topics also deal with the nu- the media, dominated by online tritional composition of food, vegan and vegetarian food preparation (recipes), Plant-based foods are at the forefront the alternatives to meat and legislation.