World Vegan Day: by 2028 the plant-based market will be worth USD 61.3 billion

The market for vegan products is growing in Italy and worldwide, conquering not only the food sector, but increasingly also fashion, cosmetics and consumer goods in general. Brands such as Stella McCartney, Moncler, Dolce&Gabbana who have given up leather and fur, or Gucci, Prada and Giorgio Armani who do without angora wool, to name the best known. 1 November is World Vegan Day - an international day to raise awareness of the cruelty-free lifestyle - and veganism worldwide has experienced unprecedented growth, with forecasts estimating a value of $61.3 billion by 2028. The growing demand for cruelty-free products is also transforming consumption habits in Europe and Italy, where more and more people are turning to plant-based alternatives. According to Astraricerche and Unione Italiana Food, as many as 22 million Italians consumed plant-based products last year, with a 2.8 per cent growth in sales in the large-scale retail and out-of-home catering sectors compared to 2022.

In Europe, Germany leads the market for vegetable products, with a value of almost EUR 2 billion in 2022 (+16% compared to 2021). This is followed by the UK, with EUR 1 billion, and Italy, where the market reached EUR 680.9 million (+9%). Countries such as Poland (+54%) and Romania (+23%) also register an acceleration in consumption of vegan products, showing how the phenomenon is spreading across the continent.

But it is clearly in food that the phenomenon is most evident. According to the annual Eurispes survey, published in May 2024, 85.5% of the population in Italy follow an omnivorous diet, while 9.5% identify themselves as vegetarian or vegan. In particular, vegetarians represent 7.2% and vegans 2.3%. After a period of decline that began in 2021, the number of vegetarians increased by 3%, marking the highest level in the last ten years. The share of vegans, on the other hand, stabilised at under 2.5%, a figure that has quadrupled since 2014. Although the vegan and vegetarian diet still involves a minority of the population, its stable presence indicates a profound and consolidated change.

This trend is also well understood by companies, which are responding by launching new plant-based product lines. Prominent is the case of Plant-Based Nutella, but also Philadelphia Vegetable or Grisbì Vegan or Mutti Vegetable Ragout. The vegan market is now recognised as one of the areas of greatest growth potential for the food industry. The choice of a vegan or vegetarian diet is often also motivated by an awareness of the environmental impact of the meat industry and a desire to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. This is what happened to the Tonazzo brothers, who have been in the meat industry since 1888 and today hold a 40% market share in vegetable burgers thanks to the Kioene brand. A turning point that began in 1988, when environmental issues were reserved for a small elite and the green movement was beginning to move. It was only a few weeks ago that the Tonazzo Group announced its definitive exit from the animal protein market in order to concentrate totally on vegetable proteins.

"The market for plant-based products is going through a phase of strong expansion, and the VeganOk certification is a point of reference for companies that want to respond to this growing demand, offering consumers guarantees of transparency and quality," concludes Sauro Martella, founder of the certification, which in Italy already covers 17,500 references and represents over 1,000 companies.