Plant-based products most consumed in France 2022

In France, among the plant-based products offered by manufacturers, "steaks" are the most frequently consumed, followed by desserts and beverages.

Flexitarian: to be or not to be?

While the share of people following a vegetarian or vegan diet in France remains small, the number of people choosing to reduce their meat consumption is increasing.
Some are motivated by the environmental aspect. Indeed, the production of one kilogram of beef requires about 15,500 liters of water and seeing as France produced 1.5 million tons of beef in 2022, the volume of water needed rapidly adds up. 
On the other hand, health organizations have linked heavy consumption of red meat with health problems such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, to only cite a few, and are encouraging populations to favor vegetables and fruits over meat-heavy diets.

Plants: the future of proteins?

As French people are paying more and more attention to their health, and the social and environmental impact of their consumption habits; plant-based proteins are proving to be an effective and successful route towards this goal. The number of such products has recorded a growth of +396 percent between 1999 and 2019, for example, and this success has not gone unnoticed by the government.
In early September 2020, the French government announced plant proteins would be one of the key measures of the national recovery plan for agriculture. One of the main objectives announced is increased independence from current imports of plant proteins, and to make France a leader in plant protein for human consumption. The Ministry of Agriculture aims to initiate a transition towards diversified protein-rich crops and counts on financial investments to support these new agricultural systems.