A recent report in New Zealand has shown the drastic reduction in the meat consumption by the population of New Zealand.
The survey — which was carried out by company Bean Supreme — surveyed 1,000 participants from around New Zealand, getting them to agree or disagree with various statements about their current meat consumption and the potential for changes to their consumption in the future.
More than half of the participants confirmed that they eat less meat now than they once did and 24 per cent said they expect their diet would be almost meat-free by 2025. Plus more than one in five participants said they were already choosing to eat meat-free at least four times a week.
“Interest in flexitarian diet”
Liz O’Meara, of Bean Supreme, said: “Kiwis developing interest in a flexitarian diet has led to the introduction of more products which fit this lifestyle option.
“According to new industry data, NZ sales of products made from plant-based ingredients such as vegetarian burgers, sausages, tofu and falafel increased by over 20% in the last year alone.”
The reasoning behind the growth in people wanting meat-free meals varied amongst respondents. 42 per cent identified health reasons as their major concern, with 28 per cent saying it was due to cost and 14 per cent because of issues with animal welfare when eating meat. Interestingly, the number of people opting for veg meals was quite evenly split between men and women, but their reasoning tended to differ, with men shunning meat products for health reasons, and women being more likely to do so for the cost benefits of avoiding meat.
Young people
It was young people aged 18-24 who were the most likely to be interested in reducing their meat intake, whilst those living in Wellington and Otago were most receptive to a flexitarian approach to dining, with nine in ten residents in these areas removing meat from their diets at least once a week.
This data supports a different poll carried out in New Zealand last year by Roy Morgan Research, which showed the rise in vegetarian culture in New Zealand, where one in ten said they were always or mostly vegetarian, reflecting a growing appetite around the world for meat-free products as people become more conscious of the amount of meat they are consuming.