Redefine Meat arrives on European retail scene as Western consumers ditch animal products

01 Dec 2023 --- Redefine Meat has entered the European retail market by launching its plant-based products with leading UK and Dutch e-online grocery stores. The move comes as recent retail data reveals the three largest Western economies — the US, UK and Germany — are experiencing a sustained downward trend in conventional meat sales volumes and per capita meat consumption.

Endorsed by high-end chefs for its comparability to high-quality animal meat, Redefine Meat’s new-meat retail portfolio will be available with Ocado (UK), Albert Heijn (NL) and Crisp (NL) this year, and other supermarkets and countries next year.

The company describes its products, which are 100% plant-based and cholesterol- and GMO-free, as ideal for consumers wanting to reduce their consumption of animal meat.

According to new figures released by the UK government, per capita meat consumption in the country dropped by 14% between 2012 and 2022, reaching its lowest level in over a decade. 

Similarly, German government statistics show that per capita meat consumption has reached its lowest level since the country began tracking such statistics in 1989, with the German Agriculture Ministry attributing the drop to a consumer shift toward plant-based proteins.

“The continued gradual decline in meat consumption in the three of the world’s six largest economies is a long-term industry disruption that creates significant opportunity,” says Nick Cooney, managing partner at Lever VC, an early-stage venture capital fund focused on the future of protein.

“These long-term trends…are starting to spread to an increasing number of countries. The plant-based food brands in Lever VC’s global portfolio have together grown sales by over 50% year over year in 2023, reflecting the ongoing opportunity for companies in these and other alternative and upgraded protein categories that provide great-tasting products at prices that work for consumers.”

Plant-based e-commerce
Until now, Redefine Meat has been available at 4,000 foodservice locations globally, from steakhouses and fine-dining restaurants to hotels and chains. But, with the new rollouts, Redefine Beef Mince, Redefine Pulled Pork, Redefine Lamb Kofta Mix and other products are also purchasable online.Redefine Meat is endorsed by renowned chefs, including Marco Pierre-White, Ron Blaauw, Alexis Gauthier and Robin Gill, for its comparability to high-quality animal meat.

Each new retail product delivers the same taste and authentic meat-like texture of Redefine Meat’s foodservice range for chefs, but in smaller consumer-sized packs, sold straight from the freezer for a longer shelf life.

The company’s award-winning whole cut range, including flank, will be launched as part of a new chilled product range in supermarkets next year.

“The biggest barriers to mainstream plant-based meat adoption remain product quality and versatility. With our success in foodservice, we have the ideal mix of product quality and variety to disrupt the retail segment in a big way,” says Redefine Meat’s CEO and co-founder, Eshchar Ben-Shitrit.

“Key to achieving this is having the right retail partners, such as Ocado, Albert Heijn and Crisp, who symbolize premium quality products.”

“Over the next 12 months, we will continue to aggressively execute our go-to-market strategy to get our products directly into the hands of consumers fastest, including more products, a brand-new chilled products range and expansion into new countries.”

We recently reported on how the Israeli company and other plant-based start-ups provided ingredients to produce vegan meals to help feed the 400,000 soldiers and reservists mobilized to the front lines in the aftermath of the October 7 civilian massacre.

Farmed animal transport expose
A growing awareness of animal suffering has also spurred the rise of meat-free diets. For instance, a new report from Eurogroup for Animals and Compassion in World Farming found that “inadequate and misleading official records have masked the true horror and scale” of the EU’s long-distance trade in farmed animals.A new animal welfare report revealed that the suffering endured by farmed animals during transport in Europe is far greater than previously understood.

The report analyzes a cache of previously unpublished EU records relating to the long-distance transportation of 180,000 consignments of farmed animals within and from the EU during a 19-month period, exposing “disturbing details” about the extent and nature of suffering endured by around 44 million farmed cattle, sheep, pigs and other animals transported annually.

For example, over 370,000 unweaned calves were taken from their mothers shortly after birth and deprived of nutrition during long journeys. At the same time, 300,000 unweaned lambs are also imported by Italy alone each year.

“The transnational nature of live exports makes it especially challenging to protect the welfare of animals, which is why we ask for a ban on live exports to non-EU countries. Better measures to protect unweaned and pregnant animals must be put forward, while the misuse of assembly centers needs to be urgently addressed,” says Reineke Hameleers, Eurogroup for Animals’ CEO.

Transatlantic parallels
In the US, data from retail sales aggregator IRI Worldwide shows that 2023 has marked the second consecutive year of diminishing meat purchase volumes. As of October, meat sales by volume have declined 4% year-over-year and by 6% over the past two years.

These decreases cut across nearly all meat categories and include a 10% year-over-year drop in pork sales volumes, a 10% year-over-year drop in seafood sales volumes and a 13% drop in turkey sales volumes.

While plant-based meat alternatives — which sell at a significant price premium to conventional meat — have seen a similar decline in sales volumes in the current macroenvironment, the broader shift away from animal proteins has opened up increased opportunities for other plant-based food categories, says Lever VC.

According to official data, the US, UK and Germany are seeing a sustained downward trend in conventional meat sales.Numerous categories in the plant-based foods space, including plant-based meals, eggs, seafood, butter, creamers, beverages, cheese and deserts, posted double-digit year-over-year sales growth in the US or Europe in 2022, with further growth expected to be seen in 2023 year-end figures.

As Lever VC details, the ongoing drop in meat sales volumes has challenged the conventional animal agriculture industry.

Tyson Foods, the largest meat producer in the US, announced the closure of four chicken slaughter facilities, amounting to approximately 10% of its total capacity.

In the UK, the country’s pig population has reportedly reached a 12-year low.

Meanwhile, retailers are responding to rising beef and chicken prices by cutting the quantity of meat included in ready meals — a trend dubbed “skimpflation.”

By Joshua Poole