Discover new opportunities in the Spanish plant-based food market. What are Spanish consumers’ consumption behaviours and expectations around plant-based food?
If you work in the food industry in Spain, this is a must-read! In this article, you’ll learn how Spanish consumers are behaving, what they expect from plant-based foods, and what commercial opportunities exist for the food industry.
Plant-based food in Spain – key highlights:
- Consumer profile: 30% of Spanish consumers identify as flexitarian, while 6% follow a plant-based diet.
- Consumption of animal-based products: among Spanish consumers, milk is the most frequently consumed dairy product (48% daily), followed by yoghurt (37% daily) and cheese (26% daily). In terms of meat, poultry is the most consumed (58% at least once a week).
- Plant-based meat and fish consumption: looking at plant-based food, the most frequently consumed items are plant-based meat. 47% of Spanish consumers are willing to buy plant-based meat regularly if it has the same taste and texture as animal meat. Spanish consumers would also like more plant-based burgers (50%), chicken alternatives (44%) and plant-based minced meat (39%) to be available on supermarket shelves. Spanish consumers would also like more plant-based fish sticks (34%) and plant-based canned fish (e.g. canned tuna) (33%) to be available on supermarket shelves.
- Plant-based dairy consumption: of all the countries surveyed, Spanish consumers are the most likely to eat plant-based cheese instead of animal-based cheese (36%), to buy it regularly (38%) and to pay a higher price for it (28%) if the taste and texture are identical to the animal-based versions. As for plant-based cheeses, Spanish consumers would like more plant-based grated cheese (40%) and plant-based sliced cheese (39%) to be available on supermarket shelves.
- Plant-based baked goods: if the taste and texture of plant-based baked goods were the same as conventional baked goods, 39% of Spanish consumers would be likely to purchase plant-based baked goods regularly.
- Preferred ingredients for plant-based foods: rice (50%), potatoes (50%) and almonds (46) are Spanish consumers’ favourite core ingredients in plant-based foods.
To learn more, download the report ‘Plant-based food in Spain’, based on the Smart Protein data, for free here (Spanish).