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Red meat sales in the Netherlands have slumped by nine percent since 2017, according to data released this Summer.
Figures from market researcher IRI Nederland also show that as sales of beef, pork, and game meat decreased in that time period, the number of meat alternatives in Dutch supermarkets increased by 51 percent.
It also notes that sales of chicken increased by two percent – but that even these fell in the first six months of 2019, by 0.4 percent.
‘Food does not have to be an animal’
Multiple meat companies have reacted to people’s changing dietary habits by diversifying their portfolios and adding vegan or vegetarian options to their lines.
One of these brands is Bolscher, which hopes its new veggie line of patties and croquettes will account for 25 percent of its turnover by 2029.
“I would prefer to continue for 10 years with only traditional meat”, Roy Bolscher, director of meat processing business, said. “But I don’t see a future in meat alone. Continuing on the same footing is no longer an option. Food does not always have to be animal, we know now.”
