PR98779

OSLO, Norway, Nov. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

GRAINS OF TRUTH REPORT: NEW EAT-GLOBESCAN GLOBAL RESEARCH ALSO HIGHLIGHTS

CONSUMERS AHEAD OF GOVERNMENTS ON ROLE OF FOOD IN CLIMATE CHANGE

Forty-two percent of consumers worldwide think most people will likely be

eating plant-based food instead of meat in the next ten years, according to a

new global consumer research study conducted by

GlobeScan[https://globescan.com/], a global insights and advisory consultancy,

and EAT[https://eatforum.org/], the science-based non-profit for global food

system transformation.

The report into healthy, sustainable, and equitable food also revealed that

more than half of people (51%) say they feel less secure about their food

supply in the face of Covid-19, conflict, and climate change. There is

significant variation in how this is being felt in different countries and

regions, with Latin America reporting some of the highest levels of food

insecurity in Brazil (73%), Columbia (72%), and Peru (69%), together with Kenya

(77%) and Italy (64%). Respondents from India (19%), Saudi Arabia (33%), and

Egypt (35%) on the other hand show the least concern.

The findings featured in the second edition of the Grains of Truth

series[https://eatforum.org/initiatives/eat-cook-club/grains-of-truth/], look

at the opinions of almost 30,000 consumers in 31 markets around the world

across healthy, sustainable, and equitable food provision.

Worries about food supply extend to concerns about food shortages, with 60

percent of respondents citing this as a very serious problem. There is

considerable variation in levels of concern among countries, with China (16%),

Hong Kong (24%), and South Korea (28%) being the least worried, while over

eight in ten in Columbia, Peru, Kenya, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and South

Africa say they are worried about food shortages. The rising cost of living is

also intertwining with food supply so a total of Ninety-two percent of the

public also say the price of their regular food shopping has increased in the

last three months.

Against a backdrop of rising food insecurity and increasing prices, a promising

60 percent of consumers say they eat healthy food most or all of the time, with

a growing number of people eating vegetarian or vegan diets - more than one in

five (22%) say that they eat plant-based or vegan food, up from 17 percent in

2019. Interest in trying plant-based diets is also growing across all age

groups; 40 percent of Gen Z, 43 percent of Millennials, 37 percent of Gen X,

and 28 percent of Baby Boomers say they are very interested in trying this way

of eating.

There are significant gaps in some countries between those who are interested

in switching to a plant-based diet and those who are already doing this. The

largest gaps are in Vietnam (38% points), Thailand (37% points), and Brazil

(22% points).  

Nearly nine in ten consumers (89%) say that buying environmentally healthy and

responsible food is important to them. Two-thirds (64%) claim they are willing

to pay more for it, an indication of the value consumers place on these goods

even against the backdrop of the rising cost of living.

Speaking about the research, Dr. Gunhild Stordalen, EAT Founder and Executive

Chair, said: "The fact that so many people around the world are becoming more

interested in eating healthy and sustainable food is an encouraging sign, a few

years ago it would be unthinkable that 42 percent of people globally would

believe plant-based food will replace meat inside a decade. But the public is

starting to understand the escalating climate and nature crises and the dangers

it brings to their everyday lives as it intertwines with the pandemic, the war

against Ukraine, and the accelerating cost of living crisis. While consumers

understand the issues, it is up to everyone else in the food system to act now

to help them – access and affordability will play a critical role as the first

edition of this report showed last year. EAT-Lancet

2.0[https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/eat-lancet-commission-2-0/] will

help to bring the latest science from different fields together to build

consensus on targets for healthy, sustainable, and equitable food systems. This

is critical to further bending the key trendlines in the right direction."

Chris Coulter, CEO of GlobeScan said: "This timely research provides insight

into how rising food prices, Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine and climate

change have exacerbated consumer fears about food insecurity. Nevertheless,

there appears to be a hopeful shift to more healthy and sustainable eating

among consumers. Plant-based diets are on the rise in all regions of the world,

and consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the link between climate

change and food choices."

To download a copy of the full report, including country comparisons, please

click here[https://eatforum.org/initiatives/eat-cook-club/grains-of-truth/].

Source: EAT