All cheese? The potential of vegetable cheese alternatives

23-Jul-2019 - Germany

Cheese is a popular food in many countries, which is eaten in many ways with hot or cold dishes - but this also means that sales are relatively stable. In order to revive growth in saturated markets, the category should therefore focus more on current trends in order to continue to play a central role on the plate in relation to constantly changing diets and consumer needs.

Although vegan plant-based cheese alternatives still form a small basis, these products are interesting for today's consumers - especially younger consumers - especially with regard to sustainability. In the Mintel trends "Bannedwagon" and "Power to the Plants", we have already explained that plant alternatives to dairy products are attracting increasing interest. This can be partly explained by ethical beliefs and uncertainty about health aspects of dairy products.

Although there is generally still little interest in milk-free options, younger consumers in particular seem to be attracted by such an offer. According to a Mintel survey, 20 percent of 16-24 year olds are interested in vegan cheese alternatives, compared to 12 percent of the German population.

With the help of the Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), we have seen the number of products in this cheese category positioned as dairy-free and vegan more than double worldwide over the last three years. Europe has proven to be the innovation leader for vegan cheese: Between April 2018 and March 2019, almost a quarter of the cheese alternatives launched worldwide were introduced there. Also on a global level, Germany has held its own as the second most innovative country in terms of vegan cheese after France - between April 2016 and March 2019, 10 percent of all vegan cheese innovations were launched in Germany. This shows that there is still plenty of potential in vegan cheese.

Due to the high oil content as well as the long list of ingredients, vegan cheese is not necessarily in line with the healthy and natural image, which is often associated with vegetable foods. Therefore, the category still has a long way to go in order to compete with the taste of conventional cheese, which is achieved not least through a natural and often traditional production process. Accordingly, the focus of new product development should be on Clean Label to meet consumer demands for healthy and natural ingredients.

Conclusion of Mintel:

The scepticism about the extent to which milk is healthy, as well as the growing interest in plant-based foods and ethical-sustainable nutrition, point to the market potential of vegan cheese. However, compared to dairy products, these plant-based alternatives are still difficult for consumers to perceive as an actual or occasional alternative to traditional cheese. Milk-free products that meet the classic expectations of cheese and at the same time offer health benefits could meet with consumer approval - especially when it comes to popular "imitation" varieties such as mozzarella and cheddar. By ensuring fair prices, good taste and authentic claims, manufacturers are well equipped to market vegan cheese options to consumers who are more open to plant-based milk alternatives, such as flexitive millennials or people with lactose intolerance.

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.

https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1162049/all-cheese-the-potential-of-vegetable-cheese-alternatives.html