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it in complex systems with a plethora of simultaneous factors and trends.
Yulia Vyatkina
Journalist
TRENDS IN CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
Conscious consumption is one of the key trends that shape the development of the FMCG retail market in 2022. Consumers have long been aware of the green agenda, and they increasingly shift from supporting abstract ideas to specific actions, that is, they integrate these ideas into their everyday lives.
Researchers identify four main trends in shopping and consumption behavior in relation to conscious consumption in food service and retail industries:
• sustainable consumption;
• healthy lifestyle and healthy diet;
• forgoing meat and animal products;
• wellness (attention to mental health).
All four trends are based on health consciousness. An interesting fact — the decrease in consumption of animal products coincided with the start of the coronavirus pandemic in January 2020. Joint research conducted by Edim Luchshe (Eating Better) project and the National Agency for Financial Studies think-tank in September 2021 shows that the Russians are now three times more likely to include plant-based alternatives to meat and milk in their diet. One third of respondents have tried plant-based meat or milk (34 % and 31 % respectively). For comparison, in the early 2020 these numbers stood at 10 % and 9 %. The research also highlights that most active consumers of plant-based meat and dairy products are people younger than 34 years living in cities.
The results of the research correlate with the finding of a survey conducted by online retailer Samokat and Efko group of companies in April 2021. According to the survey, while 90 % of Russians still prefer the "traditional” diet, 6 % of those surveyed called themselves vegans or vegetarians, 36 % said that they are considering foregoing meat, and 12 % are already trying to limit their consumption of meat products.
In other words, the two polls show that there has been a massive shift towards curtailing the consumption of animal-based products since 2020.
Experts agree that the number of Russians who are trying to eat less meat is on the rise. Nadezhda Petrova, editor-in-chief of Vegetarian.ru website, and Ruslan-Alfred Miniakhmetov, head of Sloth Ethic Food company producing vegan food, believe that at least 2 % of Russians, or almost 3 million people in the country, are vegetarians. The numbers may vary because there are also "opportunistic vegans” — for instance, many people do not eat meat or dairy products during fasting periods for religious reasons.
AND WHAT ABOUT EUROPE?
According to researchers, other reasons for giving up on meat are poverty and high meat prices (the so-called "vegetarians against their will”), as well as the emergence and availability of vegetarian products in supermarkets. Some just follow the mainstream trends, because in Western countries plant-based diets have been popular since 2000s. In 2003, the American Dialect Society recognized "flexitarian” as the most useful word of the year, defining it as "a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat”.
In Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Portugal, and Denmark, the number of people who deliberately reduce meat consumption is growing each year. They already make up almost a quarter of the population in these countries (22.9 %). These figures are provided from a study of nutrition in Western European countries commissioned by the Veganz website in 2020. Food preferences are distributed as follows:
• 1.9 % vegans,
• 3.1 % vegetarians,
• 2.9 % pescetarians (vegetarians who include fish and seafood in their diet),
• 22.9 % flexitarians,
• 69.1 % "omnivores”, people who eat both plant-based and animal-based products.
It is notable that the respondents chose flexitarian, vegan of vegetarian diets because they want to eat healthier food.
WHERE THERE IS DEMAND, THERE IS SUPPLY
In the West, flexitarians have been the driving force behind the demand for plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy products: plant-based milk and meat, seaweed products, plant-based seafood and fish, and insect protein products.
Companies in Russia are now trying to nurture a new generation of flexitarian consumers. At the same time, the main message that manufacturers try to convey to their customers is "Our products are created for everyone.” This is reflected in the fact that manufacturers use the word "plant-based” instead of "vegan”, place alternative products on shelves together with regular products rather than in designated vegetarian sections, include plant-based dishes in the menu of coffee houses and restaurants. Alternative products can be found in convenience stores and online grocery delivery services.
The market for plant-based alternatives to conventional food in Russia is joined by new producers almost every month. Since 2019, the number of plantbased meat producers in Russia has increased from just 3 to over 40 companies, and producers of traditional meat, dairy and fish products have also joined the race. Yuliya Marsel, co-founder of the Association of Manufacturers of Alternative Food Products and a Greenwise startup, predicts that although at the moment the Russian market of alternative food products is 5–7 years behind the US market and 3–5 years behind the European one, in a few years Russia will become one of key players in the global the race for alternative proteins.
TASTE AND PRICING
The two biggest concerns that consumers have regarding plant-based food are “too expensive” and "not tasty". Or rather used to have, because now prices for plantbased burgers, nuggets, and meatballs are on par with their traditional counterparts. For instance, in the early March 2022, burger patties made of meat alternative cost around 150–250 rubles per 200 grams in Yandex.Lavka, while the price of a veggie patty bagel (165g) was around 200 rubles. Experts do not rule out that in the future, alternative meat may become even more affordable than the real one.
As for the taste, blind tests show that it is often impossible to tell the difference between plant-based and animal-based products. Some people even prefer alternative food. Here is an evidence from Alexander Mironenko who manages Svetloye Kafe, a chain of coffee houses in Saint Petersburg: "I know a guy who would regularly, for several months, buy a coffee and a hotdog in one of our cafés.
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