Started Vegetarianism Motivated by Health, Animal Rights, and Environmental Issues
Companies Actively Respond to Rapid Increase in Vegetarian Population with Marketing
Experts: "Expansion Linked to Value Consumption of 20s and 30s Generations... Growth Outlook"
Interest in vegetarianism is increasing due to the rise of well-being and environmental issues. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Pixabay]
[Asia Economy Reporter Intern Lee Gyehwa] As interest in healthy living, animal welfare, and environmental protection grows, the number of people following vegetarian diets is increasing. The vegetarian population is expected to steadily rise due to the convergence of social issues such as environmental problems, climate change, ecosystem destruction, and value-based consumption among the 20s and 30s generations.
Vegetarianism is growing among young people. Vegan restaurants catering to them are also on the rise. According to the Korea Vegetarian Union on the 12th, the domestic vegetarian population increased about tenfold over a decade, from 150,000 in 2008 to 1.5 million in 2018, and is estimated to reach 2.5 million this year. This accounts for about 5% of the total population, and as the meaning of vegetarianism expands from maintaining health to helping solve social issues, the proportion of vegetarians is gradually increasing.
This trend is more pronounced among younger generations. Demand for vegetarian and vegan (strict vegetarians who do not consume meat, fish, milk, eggs, honey, or any animal-derived products) food is increasing mainly among the 20s and 30s generations, who are highly interested in health and the environment. According to KB Kookmin Card, the number of vegan specialty restaurant franchises increased sharply over the past three years (2020?2022), reaching 76% in 2020, 196% in 2021, and 391% in 2022 compared to the previous year as of the end of August.
Looking at the sales of restaurants and bakeries by age group among vegan specialty restaurant users (from January to August), sales among people in their 20s surged by 200% in 2019 and 821% in 2022. For those in their 30s, sales also rose significantly by 292% and 424% during the same period. Initially, people started vegetarianism to maintain health and address ethical issues such as animal rights violations during slaughter. However, motivations expanded to environmental issues like greenhouse gas and carbon emissions from factory farming, influencing the increase in vegetarian populations among the 20s and 30s generations.
Moreover, the 20s and 30s generations obtain information about veganism and vegetarianism through social networking services (SNS) such as Instagram and YouTube, sensitively accept lifestyles and trends presented by influencers, and tend to consume based on their value judgments.
As the number of vegetarians increases, the related market size is also growing. According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation's '2021 Processed Food Submarket Status,' the domestic vegan food market size is estimated based on the plant-based meat market size, as the criteria for vegan foods are not yet clearly established. The domestic alternative meat market grew at an average annual rate of 5.6% from 2016 to 2020 and is expected to reach $22.6 million (27.1 billion KRW) by 2025, a 29.7% increase from $17.4 million (20.89 billion KRW) in 2020.
On August 19th, at a booth during the '6th Vegenomics Fair Vegan Festa' held at aT Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, foods made from alternative meat were on display. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]
As the domestic vegetarian population shows a steep increase, companies are also focusing on vegan-related marketing. CJ CheilJedang is positioning its plant-based food business as a future growth engine and plans to grow it into a 200 billion KRW sales business by 2025. Nongshim has launched vegan restaurants to respond to the spread of vegan culture and the trend of increasing alternative meat consumption. Additionally, Pulmuone is conducting campaigns proposing sustainable food culture for health and the environment. The development of alternative foods such as vegan products is closely related to companies' ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management, showing active engagement in this field.
A netizen who recently became interested in health and dieting said in an online vegetarian community, "I had never thought about the connection between food and global warming before, but I learned that eating habits are closely related to global warming," adding, "Since one meal I eat can lower the Earth's temperature by 1 degree, I feel I should eat vegetarian meals more often."
Experts analyze that our food consumption is integrally connected to various motivations such as health issues, animal welfare, and environmental problems. Professor Lee Eunhee of Inha University's Department of Consumer Studies said, "Consumers start vegetarianism for various reasons, including health and safety of ingredients, aversion to factory farming, and responses to greenhouse gases and climate change," adding, "Vegetarian culture is spreading and growing, led by the 20s and 30s generations who are interested in value-based consumption." She further predicted, "The number of consumers who are vegetarian and vegan-friendly will continue to increase."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
