Outlook and Opportunities for the Vegetarianism Trend in the Food Trade

Globally, the number of people who decide on a vegetarian diet and then also consistently practice it is increasing. The question is whether this indicates a turning point for nutrition in the future. Vegetarian associations are convinced that the number of vegetarians will rise significantly over time and that the increase will be unstoppable. Young consumers in particular are abstaining from the consumption of meat more and more frequently, and will continue to follow this nutrition trend in the future. In this regard, great market potential can be identified, especially for vegetarian products tailored to a young target group. Therefore this thesis attempts to survey the current vegetarian product market – including both the supply and the demand – in order to determine the development tendencies of vegetarian products and of meat alternatives in particular. The goal is to determine what market potential can be derived from the ongoing change in consumer behaviour. For companies that produce or distribute vegetarian products, the results of this thesis could represent an important information base or decision aid. The trends and current developments in consumer behaviour shall be illuminated in order to derive possible measures.