Plant-based alternatives are slowly edging their way onto the plates of Australia’s meat and dairy-loving consumers, with a growing slice of the population adopting a vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian diet. While the country’s meat industry continues to make a substantial contribution to the economy annually, with Australia ranking among the leading beef exporters worldwide and recording high domestic meat consumption levels, a growing interest in ethical, sustainable, and health-orientated eating is supporting a trend toward reduced meat and animal product intake.
From cafés, restaurants, and fast-food outlets adding more vegan versions to their menus to supermarkets expanding their alternative protein and dairy ranges, plant-based food is becoming increasingly accessible across Australia. Melbourne-born fast-food chain Lord of the Fries even offers a 100% plant-based menu. Nonetheless, taste, texture, and price continue to stifle the consumer uptake rate, with plant-based foods remaining comparatively more expensive than most of their animal-product counterparts.
Is plant-based going mainstream in Australia?
Australia’s plant-based food options have vastly expanded beyond tofu and soy milk to diverse alternatives, such as vegan burgers, sausages, and cheese, that mimic the taste and texture of animal products in a bid to win over the average meat-eating consumer. While per-capita consumption of meat and cow’s milk in Australia has been dropping in recent years, meat alternatives and milk substitute intake have been gradually on the rise, exhibiting their potential to disrupt Australia’s meat and animal product industry.From cafés, restaurants, and fast-food outlets adding more vegan versions to their menus to supermarkets expanding their alternative protein and dairy ranges, plant-based food is becoming increasingly accessible across Australia. Melbourne-born fast-food chain Lord of the Fries even offers a 100% plant-based menu. Nonetheless, taste, texture, and price continue to stifle the consumer uptake rate, with plant-based foods remaining comparatively more expensive than most of their animal-product counterparts.
