Vegan alternatives are booming at Veganuary – but hardly anyone wants to go without meat

The Veganuary campaign led to a run on plant-based foods in Switzerland in January. However, consumers do not want to do without meat – sales remain stable.

This is evident from a non-representative survey among Swiss retailers and wholesalers by the Keystone-SDA news agency. The decline in meat consumption is more of a long-term trend. Meat sales hit an all-time low in January, but not to the same extent as the promotion-driven rise in vegan sales, retailers note.

The international Veganuary campaign, which has existed since 2014, calls on people to eat vegan in January. At Coop, the demand for vegan alternatives rises sharply during this month of action. That is also the case this year, says spokesman for the retailer Caspar Frey.

However, Coop does not sell less meat. “In recent years, we have not seen any impact from Veganuary on meat consumption. We assume that this will also be the case this year,” he explains.

In general, the decrease in meat sales mainly affects pork and veal. The demand for poultry meat has steadily increased in recent years.

“January is traditionally not a very meaty time,” emphasizes Migros spokesman Tristan Cerf. However, it is still too early to see clear trends this year. “Overall and over the long term, we are seeing a decrease in sales volume of meat, but a higher share of higher quality meat with added value such as label,” he added.

On the other hand, it goes without saying that higher sales of animal protein alternatives lead to lower sales of the corresponding meat products, Cerf explains. “In general, we sell much more plant-based products than usual in January,” says the Migros spokesperson. He suspects that this is probably due to the great attention for the vegan and the growing awareness of nutrition in general.

After the holidays, many customers wanted to eat more consciously, which also benefits vegan and vegetarian diets. “It is also exciting that many customers who do not normally shop in this area are trying plant-based products around the Veganuary,” says the spokesperson.

For Cerf, experience shows that the demand for products with plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy decreases slightly after January, but the trend is parallel throughout the year.

“As a supplier and wholesaler, we naturally benefit from the global Veganuary campaign, because it offers many opportunities,” says Prodega spokeswoman Christine Strahm. “Not only in January, but also afterwards.” According to the spokeswoman, the sale of herbal products is developing at a pleasantly high level.

However, the number of customers eating vegan is in the low single digits. A noticeable drop in sales of processed meats is therefore not expected. (dab/sda)