Following the release of our 2022 Plant-Based Foods State of the Marketplace Summary Report that highlighted the sales performance of the most prominent categories in retail and foodservice, our Marketplace Development team set to work on analyzing the data to glean insights on how newer, emerging categories have performed in the retail landscape.
As they dug into the numbers, there was a clear pattern that arose: Plant-based foods are diversifying in conjunction with consumer demands for plant-based options for every eating occasion.
Our goal here at PBFA is to provide the latest, and most accurate, data on the performance of the plant-based foods industry and deliver insights to inform and empower our members while also providing vital context to shape the broader understanding of the space. In our latest report Plant-Based Foods State of the Marketplace: Retail, we delve into the latest U.S. retail sales of emerging plant-based categories and growing diversification trends. While plant-based meat and milk constitute the majority of sales, other categories account for a significant 47%—indicating evolving consumer preferences.
The report showcases emerging plant-based categories like snacks, pet food, and baby food; provides in-depth insights into the growing variety in plant-based categories like dairy, spreads and dips, meals, baked goods, ready-to-drink beverages; and lays out data illuminating rapidly diversifying plant-based protein categories like seafood, eggs, and meals.
A few breakout highlights from the report:
- Plant-based snack sales hit $507 million in 2022, with a compound growth rate of 24% over the past three years.
- Plant-based seafood, including fish and shellfish, ranked among the top three plant-based meat types with the highest growth in dollar sales in 2022.
- Plant-based cream cheese made up a significant portion of spreads and dips (48.7% of total category dollar sales) with a dollar volume of $62.6 million. This category—led by nut-based cream cheese alternatives—also grew tremendously in 2022, with dollars up by 10.9% and units up by 7.8%.
- Plant-based pet food, particularly dog food, grew 21% to $38 million in 2020, specifically when the pandemic hit.
Interested in learning more?
This report is exclusively available to PBFA members. To access the full report and more insights, learn more about joining here.