Plant-Based Food Watch — 2026-04-09
The European plant-based food market has hit €16.3 billion across six key markets, offering a striking counterpoint to declining U.S. meat-alternative sales reported this week. Market sentiment remains bifurcated: the broader plant-based category shows resilience while processed meat-mimicking products continue to lose ground. A surprising finding: new clinical trial data shows swapping meat and dairy for plant-based foods cuts diet-related greenhouse gas emissions by 35% — a powerful new health-and-climate argument for the sector.
Plant-Based Food Watch — 2026-04-09
Top Story
European Plant-Based Market Reaches €16.3 Billion Milestone
New data from Circana reveals the plant-based food category is now worth €16.3 billion across six European markets, signaling that the broader plant-based category — beyond just meat alternatives — is open for further growth. The figure underscores a divergence that industry watchers have been tracking: while imitation-meat products face headwinds, the wider universe of plant-based foods (including dairy alternatives, plant-based snacks, and whole-food plant products) continues to expand.
This milestone arrives as U.S. consumers continue pulling back from highly processed meat analogues. A separate report published this week via NBC26 confirms plant-based food sales declined by 4% in 2024, with experts attributing the slide to high prices and heavy processing — reinforcing that the path forward lies in less-processed, whole-ingredient products rather than meat mimicry. The contrast between the European and American trajectories suggests that positioning matters enormously: European brands have historically embedded plant-based foods within broader "healthy eating" frameworks rather than leaning entirely on meat substitution.
The Circana data arrives alongside a fresh market forecast projecting the global plant-based meat snacks segment alone will grow from USD $3.75 billion in 2025 to $4.28 billion in 2026, reaching $8.42 billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 12.24%. The report identifies Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat, Tofurky, JBS, Unilever, Hormel, ADM, and Kerry as key players. Snacks represent one of the fastest-adapting sub-categories, where "plant-based" framing is less burdened by the "fake meat" perception problem.
New Products & Launches
2026 Veggie Awards Winners — VegNews
- Category: Multiple (meat alternative / dairy alternative / snack / beverage / ingredient)
- What's New: VegNews has released its annual Veggie Awards, naming 100+ best plant-based products, people, and places of 2026 — covering cult-favorite staples alongside the year's most-notable new launches.
- Where to Find: Winners span retail and foodservice across the U.S. market; full list at VegNews.
- Why It Matters: The Veggie Awards function as a de facto consumer confidence index for the plant-based sector, and the breadth of 100+ winning products signals continued product innovation even amid broader sales softness.
Boundless Bakery — All-Vegan Baked Goods
- Category: Snack / bakery
- What's New: A new all-vegan bakery opened in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, operated by Mike Glatfelter, using zero eggs or dairy anywhere in the kitchen — positioning itself as allergy-safe and fully plant-based.
- Where to Find: Hopkinton, MA (brick-and-mortar)
- Why It Matters: The growth of dedicated vegan retail bakeries reflects mainstream consumer demand for plant-based indulgence in everyday categories, not just meat substitutes.
Plant-Based Meat Snacks Segment — Multiple Brands
- Category: Meat alternative / snack
- What's New: A new market forecast report (released April 9) highlights accelerating innovation in the plant-based meat snacks category, with established players including Tofurky, JBS, Unilever, Hormel, ADM, and Kerry alongside Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat all active in the space.
- Where to Find: Mass retail, convenience, and e-commerce globally
- Why It Matters: The snack format is emerging as a higher-growth vector for plant-based proteins, sidestepping the "fake burger" credibility problem while riding the broader high-protein snacking trend.
Market & Business Moves
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European plant-based market reaches €16.3B: Circana data published April 8-9 shows the plant-based food category now totals €16.3 billion across six European markets, demonstrating that the category's "decline" narrative is largely a U.S. and meat-analogue-specific story.
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Plant-based meat snacks market hit $4.28B in 2026: A new GlobeNewswire research report (April 9) projects the global plant-based meat snacks market expanded from $3.75B (2025) to $4.28B this year, on a path to $8.42B by 2032 (CAGR: 12.24%) — with major conventional food companies including JBS, Unilever, Hormel, ADM, and Kerry all competing alongside pure-play plant-based brands.
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Vegan lifestyle interest rising despite media narrative: Unchained TV (April 5) reported that interest in vegan lifestyle continues to grow based on industry signals and consumer trend data, challenging the dominant "plant-based is dead" media narrative heading into Q2 2026.
Trend Spotlight
Fiber as a Plant-Based Selling Point: The New Health Narrative
A study highlighted by Plant Based News (published approximately April 8-9) draws on multiple studies to argue that swapping processed meat for plant-based alternatives significantly boosts fiber intake while reducing salt and saturated fat consumption. This dovetails with a separate randomized clinical trial published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health (reported April 6 by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) showing that replacing meat and dairy with a low-fat vegan diet including soybeans cut diet-related greenhouse gas emissions by 35%.
Together, these findings represent a meaningful shift in how plant-based advocates are framing the value proposition: away from "tastes like meat" and toward "better for your gut, your heart, and the planet." The fiber angle is particularly timely given the explosive consumer interest in gut health, GLP-1 medications (which benefit from high-fiber diets), and digestive wellness. Key players investing in fiber-forward plant-based products — whole legumes, ancient grains, fermented foods — are likely better positioned than those still racing to perfect beef-burger texture.
Where is this heading? Expect brands to increasingly feature fiber content on front-of-pack labeling, and for retailers to merchandise plant-based products alongside gut-health and high-fiber offerings rather than in dedicated "meat alternatives" sections. The framing shift may ultimately do more to grow the category than any individual product innovation.
Consumer & Science Corner
- 35% emissions cut from plant-based swap: A randomized clinical trial published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health (reported April 6) found that replacing meat and dairy with a low-fat vegan diet including soybeans reduced diet-related greenhouse gas emissions by 35%. The finding provides a concrete, science-backed environmental ROI figure for plant-based dietary shifts — a strong tool for both brand marketing and policy advocacy.
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Fiber boost confirmed from processing meat swaps: New research cited by Plant Based News (April 8-9) shows that replacing processed meat with plant-based alternatives meaningfully increases fiber intake and reduces salt and saturated fat — data points increasingly relevant as fiber's role in metabolic health and GLP-1 drug efficacy becomes clearer to mainstream consumers.
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U.S. plant-based food sales down 4% in 2024: Consumer data reported this week via NBC26 confirms a 4% decline in U.S. plant-based food sales last year, with industry experts specifically attributing the decline to high prices and heavy processing — implying that whole-food and clean-label plant products are faring comparatively better than ultra-processed meat analogues.
What to Watch Next
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European expansion opportunities: With Circana confirming €16.3B across just six European markets, watch for U.S. plant-based brands to announce European distribution deals or product reformulations tailored to European clean-label expectations in coming weeks.
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Plant-based snack category acceleration: The new GlobeNewswire market forecast (April 9) projects the plant-based meat snacks market at 12.24% CAGR through 2032 — monitor whether conventional food giants (JBS, Unilever, Hormel) accelerate new SKU launches in this space at upcoming trade events like Natural Products Expo.
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AHA dietary guidelines impact: The American Heart Association's new nutrition guidance (March 31, just outside our window) emphasizing plant-based proteins and reduced full-fat dairy is expected to generate follow-on brand response campaigns and retail promotional activity — watch for AHA-endorsement claims on packaging and in-store displays rolling out through Q2 2026.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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