Irish interest in plant-based items continues to grow, but cost of living concerns and a lingering love for meat present challenges to the market.
Brian O’Connor, Category Director – Irish Reports
Market Definitions
This Report examines the leisure activities undertaken by Irish consumers during their evenings – both during weekdays and at the weekend – while at home. All activities that are done outside the home (eg visiting the pub, cinema, etc) are not examined in this Report. Activities covered in this Report include:
- Watching live TV and streaming services
- Playing video games
- Hosting parties (including dinner parties)
- Online shopping
- Drinking with friends, relatives or alone
- Spending time with children or a romantic evening in with a partner.
Please note that activities that may be considered to be non-leisure activities are not examined in this Report, such as household chores, exercise, etc. Please note that a Market Size and Forecast section for this Report is not included. Mintel is currently unable to segment spending solely by activity for many of the categories included in this Report.
This Report covers the NI and RoI retail market for all plant-based food and drink products to be cooked/eaten at home, rather than in a foodservice establishment. This includes plant-based alternatives to meat and poultry, seafood, dairy, confectionery, snacks, prepared meals, etc.
Plant-based alternatives covered in this Report are those processed and unprocessed food items that act as direct substitutes for food products derived from animal products. For example, certain kinds of textured vegetable protein can replace red meat in popular dishes.
Plant-based food includes those derived from a plant source, such as vegetables, fruit and beans. Although fungi are not biologically classified as plants, fungi-based products are included in our definition of plant-based foods for analysis, as they are still derived from non-animal sources. Trends in consuming food and drink from animal origin, such as meat, egg and dairy, are discussed for the purposes of comparison.
Please note this Report does not include a market size as measuring the full plant-based alternatives market for Ireland is not possible at this time.
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the plant-based food and drink sector
- Offering value for money
- Gen Z seeking more prepared choices
- Recreating the restaurant experience
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Food & drink inflation easing
- Graph 1: Consumer Price Index of food items, 2019-24
- Graph 2: Consumer Price Index of food items, 2019-24
- High prices are affecting majority of Irish consumers
- Graph 3: selected issues faced by respondents over the last two months, 2024
- Unemployment levels declining
- Graph 4: unemployment rates, 2019-24
- Graph 5: unemployment rates, 2022-24
- Health concerns will drive the sector
- Graph 6: how often people try to eat healthily*, 2021-24
- Sustainable considerations important
- Graph 7: responses to how environmentally friendly respondents would say their lifestyle is, 2022
- What consumers want and why
- Nine in ten meat eaters
- Graph 8: if consumers eat red meat or poultry, 2024
- Vegetarians largest non-meat eating group
- Graph 9: types of diets adhered to by those who do not eat meat, 2024
- A third have reduced their meat intake
- Low desire for future change among those who haven’t already
- Enjoyment of meat too great to stop
- Meat a key flavour experience for many
- Plant-based milks see highest usage
- Half eat plant-based once a week or more often
- Graph 10: how often consumers have used any plant-based food/drink in the last three months, 2024
- Saving both money and the planet key motivators for eating plant-based goods
- Graph 11: reasons consumers eat less or no red meat/poultry, 2024
- Environmental and financial motivations key to plant-based diet engagement
- Demand for more choice in prepared plant-based items
- Convenient choice is important to most, but especially younger consumers
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Market Dynamics
- Market drivers
- RoI food & drink inflation easing
- Graph 12: Consumer Price Index of food items, 2019-24
- NI seeing a similar trend
- Graph 13: Consumer Price Index of food items, 2019-24
- Nearly three quarters of consumers experiencing high food and drink prices
- Graph 14: selected issues faced by respondents over the last two months, 2024
- Current financial situation
- Graph 15: financial situation, 2024
- Unemployment levels in NI continue to fall
- Graph 16: unemployment rates, 2022-24
- Unemployment in RoI more volatile
- Graph 17: Unemployment rates, 2019-24
- Fewer unemployed; more out of home lunch/snacking needs
- Wage growth climbing ahead of inflation
- Graph 18: CPI 12 month rate change and wage growth, June 2022-24
- Graph 19: CPI 12 month rate change and wage growth, June 2022-24
- Interest in health could drive further engagement
- Graph 20: how often people try to eat healthily*, 2021-24
- Most believe they live a somewhat environmentally friendly lifestyle
- Graph 21: responses to how environmentally-friendly respondents would say their lifestyle is, 2022
- Plant-based alternatives that are sustainable
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What Consumers Want and Why
- Consumer meat and meat avoidance habits
- Nine in ten meat eaters
- Graph 22: if consumers eat red meat or poultry, 2024
- Vegetarian most likely meat restrictive diet used
- Graph 23: types of diets adhered to by those who do not eat meat, 2024
- A third have reduced their meat intake
- Graph 24: if consumers have reduced their meat/poultry intake in the last six months, 2024
- Actively eating less meat
- Low desire for future change among those who haven’t already
- Graph 25: consumers who would be interested in limiting their meat intake in the future, 2024
- Motivations to eat plant-based diets
- Environmental and financial motivations key to plant-based diet engagement
- Graph 26: reasons consumers eat less or no red meat/poultry, 2024
- NI women show greater concern with the environment
- Graph 27: consumers who feel eating less/no meat benefits the environment, by gender, 2024
- Saving money appealing when considering plant-based diet
- Graph 28: consumers who feel eating less/no meat is a good way to save money, by gender, 2024
- RoI consumers more keen to avoid disease
- Types of plant-based food and drink used
- Plant-based milks see highest usage
- Graph 29: types of plant-based food and drink used in the last three months, 2024
- Plant milks appeal to younger age groups
- Graph 30: consumers who have used plant-based milks in the last 3 months, by age group, 2024
- City dwellers more likely to eat plant-based items
- Graph 31: consumers who have used any plant-based food/drink in the last three months, by area, 2024
- Half eat plant-based once a week or more often
- Graph 32: how often consumers have used any plant-based food/drink in the last three months, 2024
- NI men and RoI women show more regular usage
- Non-users of plant-based items behaviours
- Enjoyment of meat too great to stop
- Graph 33: behaviors of non-users of plant-based food & drink, 2024
- Taste and enjoyment will always be key motivators for food
- Affordability is more likely to impact women
- Graph 34: consumers who agree the current financial crisis makes it hard to afford plant-based alternatives, by gender, 2024
- Economise
- Attitudes towards plant-based food & drink
- Convenient choice appealing
- Graph 35: agreement with statements related to plant-based food and drink, 2024
- Convenient choice appealing
- Graph 36: agreement with statements related to plant-based food and drink, 2024
- Offering convenience, but natural goodness
- Younger consumers motivated by environmental proof
- Graph 37: agreement with the statement “Knowing more about the environmental impact of switching from meat to meat substitutes might encourage me to use them more”, by generations, 2024
- Men motivated by experience in restaurants
- Graph 38: agreement with the statement “Trying a particular plant-based alternative when eating out (eg in a restaurant) has prompted me to try it at home”, by gender, 2024
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Competitive Landscape
- Innovations
- Nutella goes milk-free
- Plant-based yeast protein to replicate dairy
- Plant-based price cuts
- Wild Thingz launching in plant-based sweet market
- Scallops… but not from the sea
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Appendix
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Consumer research methodology
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