According to a new survey, the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled the Americans to make a shift in their dietary habits. They have gone away from eggs, dairy, meat.
Nearly half of the American population (well 47%) shifted towards a plant-based diet during the novel coronavirus pandemic. The survey was conducted by One poll on behalf of Herbalife Nutrition. During this global survey, 28,000 respondents were questioned in 30 countries about their dietary changes during the coronavirus pandemic.
2000 Americans were included in the poll and found that 33% of them made a significant change in their diet from the past seven months. The poll suggested that 54% of Americans started eating more veggies and fruits, 25% either reduced or cut dairy from their diet, 43% didn’t eat meat and 23% boycotted eggs.
When inquired about the reason behind these changes, 53% per cent of the Americans said that while staying at home, we had more time to research about a healthier diet and food.
When it came to cutting off meat 23% of Americans said that the increased cost of animal-derived meat changed their decision; however, 19% reported that their trust decreased about the quality of meat since the COVID-19 hit off.
Kent Bradley the Chief Health and Nutrition officer at Herbal Life Nutrition said that “There is never a bad time to make a positive shift in your lifestyle, especially when those changes can lead your life to lasting and healthy results. During this pandemic, it looks like more individuals are going for nutrition-rich sources those are only found in a plant-based diet.”
This report has been supported by Grocery sales data; the later survey stated that the height of the pandemic had endorsed the survey’s findings. According to the information compiled by the trade group Plant-Based Foods Association and market research company SPINS, there has been a hype of 90% in the plant-based food sales during mid-March compared to the sales during the same time previous year.
With the increase of 148% in sales of vegan meat, 95% in vegan cheese and tofu and 88% in tempeh sales during the pandemic have been a peak buying period.
In March when there was an initial shift in the food habits in America, James Garvey CEO at Self.inc said that “Plant-based foods are seeing annual growth of over 11% according to recent studies and with the people spending more time indoors it is no surprise that many people are taking time to create new meals without using animal products. As consumers are changing their eating habits, innovation will follow them always, and we are looking forward to seeing how the purchasing decisions are going to continue to change once the pandemic gets over.
Virus phobia
The COVID-19 pandemic is already associated with the intake of animal meat which has already created a virus phobia.
Fabrice Vriens, the brand manager for Bare burger Restaurant in the UAE, said that, “We believe this is one of the main reasons that there has been an increase in the demand of plant-based food among the consumers. We have seen an increase in the share of Beyond Meat and vegan offerings in our sales.”