Data revealed this week by media outlet Foodnavigator USA shows that sales of vegan pie filling increased by 357 percent in the three weeks leading to Thanksgiving last year. The data was collected by research firm The Nielsen Company, which revealed increased sales in various categories of plant-based foods. Nielsen found that sales of vegan salad toppings were up by 393 percent, and sales of vegan bread and stuffing rose by 179 percent in that time period. In the week before Thanksgiving last year, sales of Brussels sprouts totaled $4.3 million, while sales of kale came in at $4 million, with consumers buying 483,000 pounds of fresh pumpkin and 17 million pounds of fresh cranberries. Overall, in 2016, Nielsen found that 39 percent of consumers chose to exclude meat from their Thanksgiving tables. Nielsen’s data is consistent with current trends predicted by other research firms, including last month’s report compiled by market analyst firm Baum + Whiteman that named plant-based foods the mega-trend to watch in 2018.

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