The findings include the following statistics:
Research from food and drink research specialists MMR Research Worldwide for National Vegetarian Week 2010 (24-30 May) has found that concern over the nutritional benefit of a vegetarian diet is turning vegetarians to dietary supplements, and in some cases even back to meat.
Furthermore, supermarkets are failing to satisfy about a quarter of vegetarians with ready meals, frozen foods and meat substitute products. MMR, which advises leading food brands on product development by conducting consumer and sensory research, urges companies to address issues faced by the vegetarian market as well as the market of ‘reluctant meat eaters’ to maximise revenue.
Vegetarians are 27% more likely to buy vitamin and mineral supplements than non-vegetarians. With 50% of the vegetarian sample of 357 regularly taking vitamin supplements (compared with 36% of the 5,582 non-vegetarians) and 26% taking mineral supplements (compared with 15% of non-vegetarians), the majority of UK vegetarians are feeling the need to supplement their diet.
“Sales of dietary supplements and fortified food could be increased if brands adopted more targeted marketing towards vegetarian consumers who are more likely to be receptive to nutritional benefit messages,” says Mat Lintern, MD of MMR Research Worldwide. “Interestingly, lapsed vegetarians – representing a surprisingly large 10% of our sample – cite concerns over health and nutrition as a reason for eventually returning to meat. So, it might even be the case that more consumers would convert to vegetarianism if they were suitably educated about the role of a range of vegetarian food products and/or fortified foods in maintaining a healthy, meat-free diet.”
An issue for the UK’s grocery giants is the fact that 22% of vegetarians were not satisfied with the choice of vegetarian options available to them in their supermarket. The problem is much more acute in convenience stores, and less than half of the vegetarians polled were happy with the choice available.
“Almost 25% of consumers call for a dedicated supermarket section in-store, with a similar proportion stating they would like to see a wider choice of meat substitute products,” says Lintern. “There’s a huge opportunity for the likes of Tesco Express, Co-op and Spar to do more in terms of widening their vegetarian ranges and making sure they’re visible on the shelves. Our survey revealed that plenty of non-vegetarians opt for vegetarian meals, so these products should be appealing to all consumers.”
More than three quarters of vegetarians are not happy with the choice of foods available to them in fast food restaurants. Only 3% were very happy with the choice. Pubs and restaurants fair better: almost half were happy with the choice, yet still with a considerable opportunity to better satisfy the vegetarian market.
The MMR Research Worldwide study provides a range of insights from UK vegetarians and vegans relevant to food brands. As may be expected, vegetarians are more likely to choose healthy products provided they’re quick to prepare.
They are motivated by products with no artificial ingredients and are less likely to buy ready meals because of health concerns. They are keen on ethical and quality food and attribute more importance than non-vegetarians to issues of free range and animal welfare, recyclable packaging, sustainable production, fair trade, carbon neutral, food miles, natural, low fat, whole grain and organic.
Meat substitute products: Over 90% of vegetarians buy meat substitutes, and the ones that don’t cite not liking the taste or texture. Over a third eat them most days, and this figure rises to almost 80% among vegans. The quality of meat substitute products is generally regarded as ‘good/acceptable’, with 69% awarding them a seven or more on a 10-point opinion scale.
Dairy products – while 85% are happy with vegetarian product labelling, cheese and yogurts were the only products mentioned by more than a handful of people as being a problem in this regard.
“On average, the typical vegetarian is just a little more health-aware when it comes to food, which obviously has implications for the food that’s produced for them and how it’s packaged and marketed,” says Lintern. “They are also more likely to be reading ingredients labels than non-vegetarians, which suggests the importance of product labelling to indicate suitability for vegetarians. Finally, companies wishing to target vegetarians are advised to link their products with environmental, ethical and fair trade messages.”
Source: MMR Research Worldwide
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