The report "Plant-based meat market. The situation and potential for the development of the Polish market in the context of global trends" was created pro bono. It is a socially important description of activities in the field of sustainable development, as well as modern food trends. At the same time, the report describes a market that is developing dynamically and is a "tasty morsel" for investors.
Read the report: Raport: Rynek roślinnych zamienników mięsa będzie się rozwijał - InsightOut Lab
The report was aimed at collecting information on the Polish market of plant-based meat substitutes (RZM) and estimating its growth potential in the coming years. Part of this task was also to get to know the perspective of the Polish consumer on RZM products, as well as a description of the European and global RZM market along with trends that stimulate or inhibit the development of the industry.
The knowledge contained in the report facilitates business decisions, allows you to orient yourself in one of the most important trends in the area of sustainable development, shows what Poles think about RZM? RZM are plant products that in appearance, consistency and name resemble animal meat, i.e. all types of vegetable burgers, cutlets, sausages, etc. The RZM market has been developing dynamically in recent years. It appeared in the West earlier, and now its scale is incomparably greater than in Poland, but also in Poland a lot is happening in this area, and some Polish "plant" companies can boast quite a long history.
In order to collect the most important and up-to-date information on the RZM market, we conducted extensive desk research in Polish, European and global resources. We approached the described topic comprehensively. First of all, we looked at the history and development of RZM in the world, especially in the West, which is the undisputed precursor of the global market for this type of products. We have analyzed a number of publications on climatic, ecological, economic and health aspects of RZM. We compared the arguments for and against the use of RZM in the diet, and how it can affect the fate of our planet and people living on it. Finally, we analyzed how global trends translate into our, still fledgling RZM Polish market.
In order to get to know the attitude and experience of Polish consumers with RZM and draw conclusions for the development of the industry, we conducted an extensive survey on a representative group of Poles. We have compared the conclusions from our research and analysis with the knowledge and views of representatives of Polish RZM market (via expert interviews). The collected data allowed us to refer to potential scenarios of further evolution of the market of vegetable meat substitutes in our country and in the world.
The result of our work is the first such extensive publication devoted to the RZM market in Poland. The data collected in this report show that the Polish market for RZM is developing dynamically and this trend is expected to continue. This is evidenced by both the financial results of Polish RZM companies and a number of trends of various types affecting the industry.
The revenues of Polish RZM companies are growing, and some enterprises, despite their short history, can already boast of net profits. The factors that give a positive impulse to the market (both in Poland and in the West) are cultural factors and the novelty effect. Consumers are looking for new culinary experiences, and some of them for various reasons (health, ethics) want to further reduce the consumption of animal meat to varying degrees. The survey conducted for the purposes of this report shows that nearly half of Poles eat meat, but try to limit its consumption. Specifically, it is about women, people aged 55+ and respondents with higher education – they, next to a small group of those who do not eat meat at all, constitute the base of potential customers of RZM companies. Not only consumers are interested in RZM in Poland, but also food industry in general, which is increasingly willing to offer products of this type. The situation is different with Venture Capital (VC) funds, which look less favorably on RZM start-ups than in the West, however recently M&A activity has increased in the case of larger entities.
Polish RZM market, although several times smaller than the European leaders, is essentially subject to the same global trends as the more developed markets in Europe and around the world. The similarities apply especially to global megatrends. For example, droughts resulting from global warming or the need to reduce the resource intensity of agriculture will affect the development of RZM, because plant products require less natural resources than meat farming. Two important aspects are in question when it comes to the effects on the RZM market: supply chains and health issues. In both cases, evidence of positive (shorter chains, health benefits) and negative impacts can be found. Also, the issue of prices of RZM products can have an inhibiting or driving effect. Among the trends that may negatively affect Polish and foreign markets of RZM is the consumption of animal meat and related legislation. Both in Poland and globally, meat consumption is growing, and public institutions generously subsidize livestock breeding.