The role of fast-food restaurants in normalizing sustainable, plant-based foods
In our busy and modern social lives, people visit fast-food restaurants worldwide. Not only do these eateries allow for ease and convenience, but they also offer the experience of ‘community’ by providing a place for friends to get together and share a tasty meal.
With so many consumers enjoying food from fast-food venues, think of the impact that could be had if plant-based foods could be perceived as ‘normal’ in these outlets – as just another option on the menu. As something that omnivores, flexitarians, and veggies indulged in, no matter their dietary preference…
Plant-based food service sales would skyrocket – helping push up overall food service sales, too. The plant-based food and beverage (F&B) space is already seeing great success; worth an estimated USD 40.21 billion in 2021, the market is expected to reach USD 78.95 billion by 2028 with a CAGR of 11.9%.1
Likewise, the market for plant-based meat alternatives is predicted to double within the next five years, growing from USD 7.9 billion in 2022 to USD 15.7 billion in 2025.2 By encouraging a broader audience of consumers to try their plant-based options, fast-food chains can tap into this growing potential for capital.
Your business can safeguard the environment
But there’s not only profit to be had – with plant-based options perceived as ‘normal’ and more frequently selected by a wider variety of consumers, the environment would also be better off. This would enable fast-food chains to meet their sustainability goals and really make an impact on our Earth-in-crises.
Indeed, compared to ground beef, plant-based burgers reduce environmental impacts across every environmental category. According to studies from Impossible Foods, one plant-based Impossible Burger patty requires 87% less water and 96% less land, and produces 89% fewer greenhouse gas emissions and 92% less aquatic pollutants than a conventional beef burger.3
The normalization of plant-based foods is key
Imagine if chains like McDonald’s or Burger King not only increased their plant-based offerings, but also used their huge advertising and marketing budgets to push the plant-based message…
The resulting climate impact reductions would be remarkable, and the business gains equally as impressive.
By making plant-based dishes more visible, more attractive, and giving them marketing preference over animal-based offerings, the former would appear as ‘normal’ and more consumers would be inclined to try them (doable even if you don’t have McDonald’s’ marketing budget…).
Resolutely, normalizing plant-based dishes in fast-food venues is critical to driving sales and reducing the environmental impacts of animal-agriculture. But how do we do this?
Tailored plant-based menu strategies!
Read our next article (published on August 21st) for implementable insights for your plant-based menu strategy – and learn how to future-proof your food service business.
Want to uncover which fast-food venues are leading the plant-based category globally?
Sink your teeth into ProVeg’s newly published International Fast Food Ranking Report!
References
- Vantage Market Research (2022): Plant Based Food Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report Global Industry Assessment (2016 – 2021) & Forecast (2022 – 2028). Available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2022/04/20/2425380/0/en/Plant-Based-Food-Market-Size-to-Grow-by-USD-78-95-Billion-Revenue-Forecast-Company-Ranking-Competitive-Landscape-Growth-Factors-And-Trends-Vantage-Market-Research.html. Accessed 2023.
- Markets and Markets. (2020). Plant-based Meat Market – Global Forecast to 2027. Available at: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/plant-based-meat-market-44922705.html. Accessed 2023.
- Impossible Burger environmental life cycle assessment, (2019). Available at: https://impossiblefoods.com/sustainable-food/burger-life-cycle-assessment-2019. Accessed 2023-07-03.
