47% Flexitarian

The Lempert Report
March 31, 2022

Phil: In fact, there's a new study that came out that is found that over half of young Americans describe themselves as flexitarian. And I don't know how many flexitarian dishes there are at Applebees. Number one. but let's talk about this study 71% of Americans dabble and plant based, and what, what we're seeing, obviously we've seen it in fast food, KFC burger, king Starbucks, McDonald's they all have now some kind of plant based burger. And you know, when, when we look at the flexitarian diet, I think, and we've talked about this before, that to me is the, that it's not either extreme. It's not just people going for plant-based everything. We're gonna get to that in a second when we talk about the Mediterranean diet or just being an omnivore. So I think that people are looking for more of a balance. And again, with this study which we're age 24 to 39 year olds flexitarian is, is a real thing. 

Sally: Yes, it really is. The study says 47% described themselves as a flexitarian and that 63% would be willing to swap meat for a plant-based alternative. If it met a certain criteria. Now we're talking about, you know, the we'll eat, we'll eat fo meat, but we want it to taste really good. So that's why a lot of these companies are working really hard to create products that, that meet that, you know, the, the taste needs of people who are eating meat, but it is an interesting, it is an interesting thing to see. I think the younger generation is more concerned about the planet and how we eat for a better planet. I think they're more concerned about what they put in their bodies. And, so it's, it's something that, you know, supermarkets and, and the entire food industry will have to follow. 

Phil: See for me. And, and if we look at Beyond Meat, for example, last week, they lost 40% of their value. You know, their in their stock price. I think the number is 40% and, you know, I, I still go back to, you know, one of my favorite things was the blend that the mushroom council worked on with the James Beard foundation, 50% mushrooms, 50% ground beef. You know, I actually think it tastes better than it when it's a hundred percent ground beef because of the umami flavor and so on. So, you know, Flexitarianism is, is a real thing and it's gonna continue.