No, Americans are NOT switching to plant diets – the share of vegetarians and vegans has dipped to 5%, despite the prevalence of fake meat in stores and fast food chains
No, Americans are NOT switching to plant-based diets – the share of vegetarians and vegans is down to 5%, despite the prevalence of fake meat in stores and fast food chains
The growing number of vegan patties in the refrigerators of supermarkets and fast food restaurants might lead you to think that the number of vegetarians in America is rising rapidly.
That’s not the case, according to new Gallup polls Thursday.
In contrast, the proportion of American adults who identify as vegetarian has remained stable—or even declined slightly, from about 6 percent in 1999 to 4 percent today.
Meanwhile, the share of vegans has dropped from about 3 percent in 2018 to 1 percent today.
Pollsters admit the results are counterintuitive.
Plant-based foods that replace burgers and other meat treats are on the rise.
Miley Cyrus became famous for going vegan, but later switched back to eating meat
The proportion of Americans avoiding meat has certainly declined over the past few decades
Substitute meat burgers and sausages made by Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods and other producers are widely available in supermarkets and on restaurant menus.
The highly anticipated IKEA store in San Francisco will serve vegan cinnamon rolls and a vegan version of the company’s signature Swedish meatballs, in the latest example of the trend.
Billie Eilish, Woody Harrelson, and Joaquin Phoenix are among the seemingly growing list of celebs choosing a plant-based diet.
However, Miley Cyrus famously became a vegan, but later switched back to eating meat.
Gallup says meat substitutes are “becoming more common in supermarkets and restaurants,” and four in 10 Americans have tried them.
“But these changes have not been accompanied by an increase in US adoption of vegetarian or vegan diets,” the pollster said in his report.
“Less than 5 percent of American adults follow either eating approach.”
Those who switch to a vegan or vegetarian diet often point to health or environmental reasons.
Plant-based diets have been linked to lower rates of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.
Meanwhile, raising livestock for beef and dairy causes greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation and water pollution.
KFC is one of the latest fast food chains to offer a meat-free alternative
Americans of color are more enthusiastic vegetarians than their white counterparts
Researchers at the University of Oxford revealed last month that vegan diets resulted in 75 percent fewer global warming, water pollution and land use emissions than standard meat diets.
Others simply make the switch to avoid harming animals.
In response to Gallup’s survey, health food expert and author Karen Asp said she was “proud to be among the 1 percent of Americans who are vegan.”
Still, she was sad “that so few people care about animals, their health or the planet,” she added.
The Gallup researchers discovered that there was a political side to being herbivorous.
About 9 percent of liberals said they were vegetarian, compared to only 3 percent of conservatives.
Meanwhile, 6 percent of women opted for a plant-based diet, compared to 2 percent of men.
Vegetarianism is also much more popular among low-income Americans than among those earning more than $100,000 each year.