Has consumer demand for plant-based food disappeared, or has the market simply grown up?

Market signals point to adjustment, not collapse

The plant-based sector has weathered a wave of headlines about falling sales, delistings, and restaurant closures. At first glance, it is easy to interpret these signals as evidence that consumer interest in plant-based food has faded. Yet a closer look suggests a more nuanced reality: the market is not collapsing, but recalibrating.

After several years of rapid expansion, plant-based food is moving out of its hype-driven growth phase and into the practical realities of mainstream retail and foodservice. Like many emerging categories before it, plant-based is settling into a more mature, disciplined phase, one shaped by repeat purchasing, price sensitivity, and everyday relevance rather than novelty alone.

In short, this is a market maturing, not disappearing.

Consumer demand remains, but the context has shifted

Across Europe, the economic backdrop remains challenging. Household budgets are under pressure, eating-out occasions are down, and consumers are making more deliberate choices about where and how they spend. In the UK, for example, the cost of living remains a top concern;¹ retail volumes are broadly flat year on year;² and four in 10 Britons report eating out less often than a year ago due to rising prices.³ Similar dynamics are playing out across mainland Europe.

Plant-based purchasing continues within this environment, but the behavior underpinning it has evolved. Flexitarian consumers now dominate sales, and their expectations differ from those of early adopters. Rather than seeking novelty or niche credentials, they prioritize familiar formats, good taste, and clear value for money.

Consumer demand continues

• 31% of people in the UK identify as flexitarian, while 41% report actively reducing or eliminating meat from their diets.⁴
• More than a third of people in the UK are planning to buy plant-based food during Veganuary 2025.⁵
• 40% of people in Germany identify as flexitarian.⁶
• Four in 10 Germans and UK citizens intend to eat more plant-based foods.⁷
• 46% of French people want vegetarian/vegan options when dining out.⁸
• 40% of French consumers want to eat more plant-based foods.⁹
• 62% of households in the Netherlands continue to buy plant-based products, an increase of almost 13% since 2020.¹⁰
• 46.4% of households in Spain bought plant-based milk and drinks at least once during 2024¹¹

As a result, the strongest performers in today’s market are brands and operators that deliver dependable, everyday appeal, not those relying on experimentation or premium positioning alone.

Retail: decline, stabilization, and growth in mainland Europe

European retail data reflects this shift from rapid expansion toward steadier, more mainstream growth.

In Germany, plant-based retail sales across six major categories reached EUR 1.68 billion in 2024, with both value and volume rising year on year.¹² France also continued to grow, reaching EUR 537 million in 2024 and building on gains made in 2022 and 2023.¹³ Italy’s retail market hit EUR 639 million in the same year, supported by private-label expansion and a move toward more versatile, everyday products.¹⁴

Spain presents a more mixed picture: plant-based meat values softened in 2022 and 2023, but 2024 data suggests a modest recovery.¹⁵

The UK remains one of Europe’s most significant plant-based markets, with long-term forecasts still signaling growth.¹⁶ Short-term performance, however, has been uneven. Plant-based cheese volumes rose 37% over three years to January 2025, but dipped slightly in 2024.¹⁷ Overall, plant-based retail value fell by just over 4% between 2023 and 2024, with a slightly smaller decline in unit volumes.¹⁸

Some brands saw losses, too. Notably, Beyond Meat continues to report declining sales. In the 2025 fiscal third quarter (ended Sept. 27), sales fell 13.3% from the previous year, and net loss was USD 110.7 million.¹⁹ However, it hasn’t been all doom and gloom for plant-based brands, with others seeing growth. Over the last five years, One Planet Pizza, has secured huge retail listings in the UK with Asda, Morrisons, and Aldi, and they saw 41% growth at Asda in 2025.²⁰

Importantly, these shifts reflect changing consumer behavior rather than collapsing demand. Shoppers are becoming more discerning, with taste, quality, health, and price now central to purchasing decisions,²¹ alongside a resurgence in scratch cooking.²² Retailers have responded by rationalizing ranges, retaining high-repeat products and delisting weaker performers. Even Tesco acknowledged that it missed its target to triple plant-based meat sales by the end of 2025.²³

These developments point to consolidation, not contraction.

Foodservice: broader integration while specialist formats adjust

Foodservice is following a similar trajectory. While Europe-wide data remains limited, recent UK coverage highlights closures and strategic shifts among several vegan-only operators, including Vurger, Rudy’s Vegan Diner, Halo Burger, Neat Burger, and others.²⁴ Unity Diner also announced closure in 2025 before later reopening following strong Veganuary trade.¹⁴²⁵

Internationally, some high-profile venues have broadened their offerings, including Michelin-starred Eleven Madison Park in New York, reintegrating meat,²⁶ Kynd Community in Bali, reintroducing dairy, and various plant-based cafés moving toward more explicitly plant-forward positioning.

At the same time, mainstream operators are embedding plant-based dishes more deeply within mixed menus. Some have reduced the number of dedicated vegan options, but not necessarily due to declining interest. Wagamama, for example, recently cut several permanent plant-based dishes, citing demand patterns rather than a strategic retreat from plant-based food.²⁷

Crucially, where plant-based options sit alongside conventional dishes, performance remains strong. In the UK, quick-service restaurants saw orders for plant-based items rise by 56% in 2024.²⁸ Across Europe, although eating-out frequency is down overall due to economic pressures, mixed menus continue to drive the most consistent plant-based growth, within the broader context of fewer dining occasions.²⁹

A market that is consolidating, not collapsing

Taken together, the data tells a consistent story. The plant-based sector is moving from first-wave hype to long-term, habitual consumption. Early growth brought a flood of product launches, but not all were strong enough to sustain repeat purchasing. As the market matures, retailers and foodservice operators are refining their offers, keeping products that deliver on taste, texture, and value, and removing those that do not.

This process is a normal and necessary stage of category development. The outcome is a more resilient, better-defined market built not on trial, but on loyalty.

What food businesses can take from this transition

ProVeg makes the following recommendations for food businesses navigating this next phase:

• Manufacturers: Prioritize flavor, format, and familiarity. The strongest products are simple, satisfying, and often made from whole or minimally processed ingredients. Highly processed meat analogs are losing favor, unless they clearly outperform on taste.^{30 31}
• Retailers: Rationalize strategically. Range optimisation should be seen as refinement, not retreat. Position proven plant-based products within core categories rather than isolating them in vegan aisles, allowing them to compete naturally in a mainstream context.
• Foodservice operators: Lean into plant-forward menus. The most resilient model blends plant-based and conventional dishes. Flexitarian consumers value choice and respond best when plant-based options sit alongside familiar favorites. Increasing the proportion of plant-based dishes relative to animal-based ones can also help drive sales.
• Everyone: Respect price sensitivity. Cost remains decisive. Competitiveness will depend on managing portion sizes, ingredient choices, and supply efficiency.³²

Conclusion

Across the plant-based supply chain, the direction of travel is not as straightforward as pure decline, but points more to maturity. The hype phase is ending, and the habit phase is beginning. Businesses that focus on value, quality, and everyday relevance will be best positioned to lead the next wave of growth.

For more support on your alternative protein strategy, contact our experts at [email protected], and subscribe to our newsletter and podcast.

1. Office for National Statistics. “Public opinions and social trends, Great Britain: October 2025.” 15 August 2025. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/bulletins/publicopinionsandsocialtrendsgreatbritain/october2025
2. Office for National Statistics. “Retail Sales, Great Britain – latest release.” 2025. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/retailindustry/bulletins/retailsales/latest
3. YouGov. “Dining out less often due to rising prices.” April 2025. Available at: https://yougov.com/en-gb/reports/53189-uki-dining-out-report-2025
4. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://gfieurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/UK-Understanding-plant-based-category-dynamics-motivations-and-consumers.pdf
5. https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/food/veganuary-third-people-uk-plant-based/
6. https://proveg.org/article/capture-europes-biggest-flexitarian-audience-by-understanding-german-consumers/
7. https://gfieurope.org/blog/research-four-in-10-german-and-uk-adults-plan-to-eat-more-plant-based-food/
8. https://www.bioecoactual.com/en/2024/01/16/plant-based-food-in-france.
9. https://www.bioecoactual.com/en/2024/01/16/plant-based-food-in-france
10. https://gfieurope.org/press/the-state-of-plant-based-in-the-netherlands-retail-sales-decline-despite-consumer-openness-and-foodservice-growth/
11. https://gfieurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Spain-plant-based-food-retail-market-insights-2022-2024.pdf
12. GFI Europe. “Germany plant-based food retail market insights 2022–2024.” 2025. Available at:https://gfieurope.org/european-plant-based-sales-data/#germany
13. GFI Europe. “European plant-based sales data: France.” 2024. Available at: https://gfieurope.org/european-plant-based-sales-data/#france
14. GFI Europe. “European plant-based sales data: Italy.” 2024. Available at:https://gfieurope.org/european-plant-based-sales-data/#italy
15. GFI Europe. “European plant-based sales data: Spain.” 2024. Available at: https://gfieurope.org/european-plant-based-sales-data/#spain
16. Grand View Research. “UK Vegan Food Market Report.” 2025. Available at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/horizon/outlook/vegan-food-market/uk
17. GFI Europe. “UK plant-based cheese and category performance data 2022–2025.” 2025. Available at: https://gfieurope.org/press/plant-based-figures-point-to-taste-and-quality-as-key-drivers-for-uk-consumers/
18. GFI Europe. “European plant-based sales data: United Kingdom” 2024. Available at: https://gfieurope.org/european-plant-based-sales-data/#united-kingdom
19. Why Beyond Meat plummeted 78% in 2025. The Motley Fool, 2025. Available at: https://www.fool.com/investing/2026/01/08/why-beyond-meat-plummeted-78-in-2025/
20. https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/one-planet-pizza-joe-hill-million-vegan-frozen-sales
21. GFI Europe. “Plant-based figures point to taste and quality as key drivers for UK consumers.” 2025. Available at: https://gfieurope.org/press/plant-based-figures-point-to-taste-and-quality-as-key-drivers-for-uk-consumers/
22. Retail Times. “Scratch cooking makes a comeback…” summarising NIQ Top Products Survey 2024. 14 December 2024. Available at: https://retailtimes.co.uk/scratch-cooking-makes-a-comeback-with-sales-of-fresh-meat-poultry-in-strong-growth-but-plant-based-food-sales-continue-to-fall-reveals-niq-top-products-survey-2024-report
23. Vegconomist. “Tesco unlikely to meet plant-based meat sales target.” 2025. Available at: https://vegconomist.com/retail-e-commerce/tesco-unlikely-meet-target-increasing-plant-based-meat-sales
24. The Guardian. “Why vegan restaurants are closing or adding meat to the menu.” 2 September 2025. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/sep/02/plant-based-problem-why-vegan-restaurants-closing-or-adding-meat-menu
25. The Guardian. “Why vegan restaurants are closing or adding meat to the menu.” 2 September 2025. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/sep/02/plant-based-problem-why-vegan-restaurants-closing-or-adding-meat-menu
26. The Guardian. “Why vegan restaurants are closing or adding meat to the menu.” 2 September 2025. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/sep/02/plant-based-problem-why-vegan-restaurants-closing-or-adding-meat-menu
27. Vegan Food and Living. “Wagamama faces backlash over reduced vegan menu as Vegatsu is axed.” 16 October 2025. Available at: https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/wagamama-vegatsu-vegan-options-menu-cuts/
28. Vegconomist. “Plant-based orders in UK quick service restaurants increase fifty-six percent in 2024.” 2024. Available at: https://vegconomist.com/gastronomy-food-service/vegan-orders-uk-quick-service-restaurants-increase-2024
29. YouGov. “Dining out less often due to rising prices.” April 2025. Available at: https://yougov.com/en-gb/reports/53189-uki-dining-out-report-2025
30. GFI Europe. “European plant-based sales data: United Kingdom” 2024. Available at: https://gfieurope.org/european-plant-based-sales-data/#united-kingdom
31. GFI Europe. “Plant-based figures point to taste and quality as key drivers for UK consumers.” 2025. Available at: https://gfieurope.org/press/plant-based-figures-point-to-taste-and-quality-as-key-drivers-for-uk-consumers/
32. Kantar. “Shoppers struggle to juggle cost, sustainability and health.” 14 October 2025. Available at: https://www.kantar.com/uki/inspiration/fmcg/2025-wp-shoppers-struggle-to-juggle-cost-sustainability-and-health