Half of all consumers are shopping more health consciously since the pandemic, according to a recent survey from Accenture, a leading global professional services company. This includes prepping and planning weekly meals and preparing most, if not all, meals at home to avoid eating at restaurants. Accenture believes these behaviours will last up to a decade. Ultimately, the pandemic has caused Canadians to closely consider the impact of their shopping choices and actions, especially in terms of health and the environment.
In addition to consumers shopping more health consciously, the survey found:
- Globally, 45 per cent of consumers said they are making more sustainable choices when shopping.
- Sixty-seven per cent said they are focusing more on limiting food waste.
The rise in health and sustainably conscious shopping throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is also reflected in a particularly distinct rise in a meat-free and vegan consumer base. Retail Insider attributes the increased interest in veganism during the pandemic to a few factors including:
- The meat-market association with COVID-19.
- Increased knowledge of the environmental impact of meat consumption.
- The closure of several meat-processing plants due to COVID-19 outbreaks.
Eating sustainably is simple with peanuts and peanut butter, both of which are staples in plant-based diets due to its protein content. In recent years, veganism and plant-based eating have exploded in popularity and the pandemic has intensified this trend. According to recent research, vegan recipe searches on Google were up more than 25 per cent in 2020. Additionally, the number of Canadians who align with plant-based options and a vegan diet increased this year. One 2020 report found 70 per cent of Canadians responding “vegan ‘meat’ is here to stay” and nearly 40 per cent of Canadians under 35 would like to reduce their overall meat consumption.
Source: Retail Insider