Sweden records strong growth in vegetarian meat substitutes in 2020

The sales of vegetarian alternatives to meat products surged in Sweden last year, with frozen meat-free alternatives growing by 15 percent and fresh meat substitutes increasing by 40 percent, reported Xinhua, quoting Swedish Television (SVT) on Monday.

"Vegetarian and vegan food is not a fad, it is definitely here to stay," Miriam Thunberg, director of sustainability at supermarket chain Lidl Sweden, told SVT.

Other supermarket chains have noticed the same development.

"We see that increased demand is driving supply, which has led to better products, better availability, and better prices," said Kevin Bell, press secretary at Coop, one of Sweden's major supermarket chains.

Nearly 60 percent of Swedes eat vegetarian dishes at least one day per week, according to statistics from supermarket chain Axfood. Women and young people account for most of the vegetarian consumption.

Stock analyst Karl Lans told SVT that the market for meat substitutes is dwarfed by the global meat business, which is worth more than 1,000 billion U.S. dollars. Substitutes account for approximately two percent of it, but Lans said that such products are gaining importance.

"What drives demand is the climate and the fact that we must at least not increase meat production. The meat industry today accounts for about 15 percent of the world's emissions -- as much as the world's transport," said Lans.