Plant-based versus animal-based
- Plant-based market growth slows
- Dairy and meat categories are seeing renewed consumer engagement, with milk, yoghurt, cheese, turkey, beef, and pork all up year-on-year
- Health, performance, and sensory satisfaction are overtaking ethics and sustainability as key drivers
- Scrutiny of highly processed plant-based products is pushing health-conscious consumers back to animal-based options
- Brands like Mighty Drinks and Arla have exited or scaled back, reflecting the market shift
The rise of the plant-based movement has seen sales of alt meat, fish and dairy products soaring. Such is its success, the plant-based market is now valued at $23.89bn (€20.34bn) and growing at a CAGR of 7.9% (Markets and Markets).
But while things continue to look up for the industry, which is set to hit $34.97bn by 2030, there are signs of a slowdown, as consumers increasingly return to animal-based products.
“There’s a noticeable recalibration happening,” says Alon Chen, CEO of Tastewise. “While the broader trend of plant-based eating still holds cultural capital, recent consumer data reveals that traditional animal-based categories are regaining attention.”
In fact, figures from Tastewise show consumer interest in real dairy categories is up across the board, with milk up 3.67% year-on-year, yoghurt up 1.58%, and cheese up 0.9%.
Similarly, turkey has seen a 5.23% year-on-year increase, beef a 2.99% increase, and pork a 1.44% increase.
By contrast, plant-based alternatives have seen declining engagement and are down 13.75% year-on-year overall. In particular, milk alternatives have seen a drop of 0.46% and meatless burgers a drop of 5.79%.
Why are consumers returning to animal-based products?
The reason for the shift appears to be a change in consumer priorities.
While health and ethics remain fundamental to plant-based living, there’s been a move towards sensory satisfaction and functional health.
In dairy, emerging drivers include the concept of cosy living, rich foods and beverages, and even the growing interest in creatine. These, says Tastewise‘s Chen, are a nod to both indulgence and performance nutrition.
Likewise, meat is seeing increased associations with muscle function, vitality, and zesty flavours.
“This suggests consumers are returning to animal-based products not out of disregard for ethical concerns, but because they perceive these foods as better aligned with their current health goals, culinary enjoyment, and performance needs,” says Chen.
However, ethical concerns are still present, accounting for 2.24% of plant-based meat drivers and 1.67% in dairy. But they’re no longer at the forefront of the conversation.
Environmental impact
“What’s changed is relative prioritisation,” says Tastewise‘s Chen. “Environmental and ethical motivations seem to have been overtaken by functional health and sensory experiences, especially as consumers grow more skeptical about the health halo of some ultra-processed plant-based products.”
Additionally, the rise of sustainable certifications and regenerative agriculture messaging in meat and dairy is punching through and helping to ease consumer concerns, creating a perception, or hope, that animal-based food production has improved.
Health benefits
The plant-based diet remains closely linked to health, with positive associations to benefits such as cutting the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, Improved gut health, longevity, slowed cancer progression, and a reduced risk of cardiometabolic disorders.
“Health remains the number one consumer driver of the plant-based diet at 31.7%, including subcategories like vegan, dairy-free, and high protein,” says Chen.
Though the narrative is changing.
Dairy’s emerging associations with creatine and electrolytes show that animal products are being reconsidered as performance-enhancing rather than indulgent-only. In meat, consumer associations with vitality and muscle function are gaining momentum.
Having said that, the negative associations between plant-based food and beverage products, and ultra-processing methods, has significantly dented the plant-based industry’s reputation.
“There’s growing scrutiny around the processing levels of some plant-based products,” says Chen. “This may be driving health-conscious consumers back to minimally processed animal-based items they perceive as more natural or nutritionally complete.”
How is the plant-based slowdown impacting industry?
While the apparent shift back towards animal-based products might be gradual, there are already signs of its negative impact on the industry.
Earlier this year, Arla Foods announced it was discontinuing its plant-based milk alternative brand Jörd in the UK.
And just last month, FoodNavigator reported that plant-based milk brand Mighty Drinks was going into administration.
By contrast the dairy milk industry, which had been experiencing a decline in demand, is now enjoying a resurgence.
In cheese, Bel Group has announced plans to discontinue its plant-based brand, Nurishh, by the end of 2025.
And Lewis Hamilton and Leonardo DiCaprio’s vegan burger company, Neat Burgers, has closed down, after recording £8m (€9.23m) in losses.
Also read → Plant-based milk market slows as dairy makes a comeback
Is this trend set to last?
It appears the great return to animal-based is here to stay.
“Given the multi-layered consumer drivers now anchoring animal-based engagement, from emotional experiences like comfort and richness to health priorities like strength and endurance, this isn’t likely to be a flash in the pan,” says Tastewise‘s Chen.
Though Chen believes this is more of a “rebalancing” than a reversal. In other words, there’s room in the market for both industries to thrive.
“Plant-based remains vital in the modern foodscape, especially in formats like chickpea cheese (+26.9% year-on-year) and oyster mushroom burgers (+29.9% year-on-year), but the pendulum is swinging toward a more inclusive approach where both plant and animal-based foods coexist in more flexible diets.”
Chen goes on to say that brands which choose to embrace this dynamic, offering both options to their customers, rather than clinging to a binary approach, will lead the charge in product innovation and messaging.
Though this won’t be an option for plant-based brands as they ethically oppose the use of animal-based foods.
We’ll be watching this trend closely, to see how the animal- and plant-based markets evolve in the future.
