63% of Swiss Population is Actively Reducing Meat Consumption

According to a new report, 63% of those in Switzerland are actively trying to reduce their meat consumption.

A growing percentage of Swiss consumers are opting for plant-based alternatives like the Impossible Burger shown above.

The third Plant Based Food Report was conducted by Coop Market Research and LINK. The report found that over the past three years vegan burgers saw a 252% increase in sales. Even more impressive, vegan meat alternatives as a whole saw an increase of 350% during the same period.

The report found that vegan burgers account for a fifth of all burger sales, and currently, schnitzel substitutes are the most in-demand with sales of 17.7 million Swiss Francs.

In terms of vegan milk, it accounts for 1/7th of the overall milk market. The cumulative turnover of vegan cheese, milk and yogurt alternatives stands at 126.7 million, representing a relatively small but growing 6% market share.

The number of flexitarians in the country continues to increase with 63% of the Swiss population now consciously avoid animal-based foods several times a month, a 23% increase from 2012.

Other facts from the report:

  • A quarter of respondents eat vegan alternatives several times a month
  • 40% of respondents want to eat more vegan alternatives in the next five years
  • An additional 27% enjoy plant-based alternatives to meat, fish, milk and cheese “from time to time”.
  • 54% of the Swiss population have already population have tried vegan substitutes.
  • 48% of the Swiss population have been eating vegan alternatives for at least four years.

“[Vegan diets are] therefore not a short-lived trend, but a sustainable change in diet”, the report concludes.

Coop Market Research, in collaboration with LINK, carried out this study from 1 to 20 September 2022.
2,222 people aged between 15 and 79 were interviewed in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland and in Ticino. The target group was randomly selected from the LINK Internet panel and is representative, state the authors.