Plant based meat is now cheaper than animal meat
According to new numbers, plant-based meats are suddenly cheaper than traditional meats. Data compiled by supermarket researcher Questionmark on behalf of Dutch food recognition organization ProVeg International, show how inflation and high commodity prices are pushing up animal meat prices compared to plant-based meat substitutes.
“Meat reacts much more sensitively to global market turmoil than meat substitutes”
In February of this year, ProVeg and Questionmark systematically mapped the price difference between animal and plant-based meat substitutes for the first time. Then, in June of this year, they remapped the differences and discovered that there were some changes, including the following price trends: In February 2022, plant-based burgers were on average 56 cents higher than animals per kilogram. It’s now 78 cents cheaper per kilogram. In February, plant-based chicken cuts averaged € 1.16 higher per kilogram. It’s now 37 cents cheaper per kilo. In February, minced vegetables were on average 29 cents higher per kilogram. It is now 1.36 euros cheaper per kilogram.
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Portion size
Researchers compared the cheapest animal meat products to the cheapest related plant-based meat substitutes of the same serving size, comparing a total of 36 different products. The difference between supermarkets and the products themselves is still significant, as many plant-based products have different target markets and higher prices. However, the results show a trend of overall price equivalence.
Inflation and discount store options According to ProVeg, rising inflation and rising raw material costs are driving the trend, coupled with inefficiencies in meat production. On average, between February and June, meat prices rose 21%, while plant-based meat substitutes rose only 2%. In relative terms, discount stores Aldi and Lidl offer the greatest benefit when exchanging meat for meat substitutes, saving more than € 6 per kilogram.
“Meat has always been a product that requires a huge amount of raw materials. It takes up to 10 kilograms of grain to produce 1 kilogram of meat. Now, when it’s scarce, it’s at the expense of it”, explained Pablo Moleman of ProVeg Netherlands. “Because of the large amount of raw materials used, meat is much more sensitive to global market turmoil than meat substitutes. Plant-based meat is clearly more efficient, which is reflected in the price.”
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Source: Vegconomist
