Besides being one of the fast-emerging vegan markets, Australia also has one of the world’s highest per-capita meat consumption rates, thereby making a compelling case for faux meat brands to venture into the market. Therefore, more meat-alternatives manufacturers are focusing on the food service sector to target a broader consumer base, ranging from hardcore vegans and vegetarians to flexitarians and meat lovers who occasionally have meat substitutes to reduce their meat intake, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Bobby Verghese, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “According to GlobalData’s Q3 2021 consumer survey, 51% of Australian respondents found ‘plant-based’ concepts very appealing in food and beverages. The entry of iconic plant-based meat brands into leading Australian foodservice chains will help disseminate awareness about the culinary possibilities of meat analogues among a wider consumer base. Faux meat players are currently focusing on entry-level products like burger patties, meatballs, and lasagna thereby encouraging consumers to try out meat alternatives before moving on to roasts and barbeques.”

One of the latest entrants in this space, the iconic US-based meat alternative brand ‘Impossible Foods’, debuted its flagship ‘Impossible Beef’ minced beef substitute across 150 burger outlets of Grill’d – Australia’s leading burger chain, and the ‘Butter’ fried-chicken restaurants in the greater Sydney area. ‘Impossible Foods’ will compete with multinational players such as Beyond Meat and Meatless Farm, and the growing number of domestic players such as Quorn, Sanitarium, and v2food.

In October 2021, Hong Kong based company, ‘OmniFoods’ also forayed into the Australian market, launching its pork-meat substitutes, OmniMeat Mince and OmniMeat Luncheon through retail chains Woolworths, Asian Food Store, Miracle Supermarkets, Tong Li Supermarket, and Vegan Grocery Store.

Verghese concludes: “To attain such mainstream appeal, meat substitute makers face the uphill task of replicating the flavor, mouthfeel, visual appeal and versatility of animal meat for various local dishes. While consumers have come to realize the ecological impact of livestock farming, they are not entirely convinced that plant-based meat alternatives are as sustainable or eco-friendly as they are claimed to be. This calls for manufacturers to rope in reputed research centers to validate the environmental footprint of their meat substitutes and express in laymen terms.”

*Data taken from GlobalData Q3 2021 Consumer Survey – Australia (September 2021) with 569 respondents