Vegetarian foods, to the assault of supermarkets

In two years, the food vegetarians have gone from being products that could be found mainly in specialized stores to make the leap to large surfacesaccording to the Vegetales association, a step with which they now seek to become a solid space to reach out to ‘flexitarians’.

Behind a 50% growth since 2020, according to data from the association, there are initiatives that They work so that these foods continue to reach more and more consumers and conquer all palates.

This is the case of the vegan sauces of Conca Organics, which began as an evolution of a final year project for two environmentalists. “One of the goals was fight climate change“, explains one of its creators, Armand Folch, in statements to Efeagro, who adds that they also wanted to “seek alternatives for a sustainable, healthy and ecological food“.

To do this, they identified vegan sauces that accompany meals as an ideal product to satisfy needs that they did not think were covered: “Being healthy and tasty“.

On the first point, Folch indicates that some products for vegetarians “are not very good” at a nutritional level and that consumers, in addition to wanting a sustainable foodThey want them to be “healthy” too.

In this sense, it stands out that some products offered for vegetarians and vegans they are not “as tasty” as foods with animal nutrients: “Tofu can taste like cork,” he jokes.

The lack of flavor is, for Folch, one of the weak points of these products, and, therefore, the reason why they do not finish conquering the stomachs of the ‘flexitarians’, that combine a vegetarian diet with animal products on an occasional basis.

Precisely, a recent survey published by the Beneo company indicates that ‘flexitarian’ consumers are driving demand for plant-based foods.

These data show that in Spain, 22% of consumers consider themselves ‘flexitarian’ and 4% identify as vegan, vegetarian or pescetarian.

In detail, almost half of the ‘flexitarians’ already buy alternatives to meat (45%) and to dairy products (49%), and almost one in three (32%) also buy plant-based sweets Like chocolate

In addition, this segment of consumers is especially interested in the transparent labeling, sustainability, health and food adventures, according to the study. Figures like these are what convince the creators of the vegetarian sauces to make products with which to reach the ‘flexitarians’, a “booming market”according to Folch.

From a business point of view, according to the data handled by the consulting firm Nielsen, plant alternative solutions they continue to represent one of the most dynamic segments within mass consumption. However, the figures also indicate that they are still a small portion of the marketalthough it is one of the fastest growing.

This increase has been seen in greater proportion and marks the pace of the shopping basket in different products such as hamburgers, meatballs or steaks, according to data from the query.

The increase in these products has led to greater specialization -such as Folch sauces- and professionalization of the sector. One of the examples is that this Thursday the first Spanish Association of Vegetable Food and Drink Producers (Vegetables) was presented.

For its president, Natalia Berenguer, the association was created with the aim of bringing the sector together since, being a new category, needs “a regulatory framework”, Berenguer explained in statements to Efeagro. At the time of his start, he has already counted six industry brands among his ranks.

In addition, they have also been proposed to include in the nutritional pyramid vegetable foodone of the social objectives to promote “a healthy diet & rdquor ;. A ‘boom’ in growthaccording to Berenguer, who intends to conquer the stomachs and the shopping bags of the ‘flexitarians’.