Although only a minority of consumers say they follow a specific type of diet, such as a vegan or vegetarian, consumers report eating more vegetables today than a year ago. More specifically, 15% of consumers overall adhere to a special diet, but a notable 41% of consumers are eating more veggies now than a year ago, reveals Technomic’s new “2017 Center of the Plate: Seafood & Vegetarian Consumer Trend Report.”
This movement toward vegetables isn’t rooted in a desire to avoid meat; it’s rooted in a growing demand for nutritious, plant-based food. In fact, the report shows consumers are more likely to order items described as plant-based as those described as meatless or meat-free. Expect vegetables to increasingly play a starring role on restaurant menus for this reason. (For a closer look at this shift, see chart “Dishing out the Veggies.”)