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Zwanenberg Food Group, a Dutch meat and snack manufacturer, have made the decision to produce less meat products and replace them with vegetarian alternatives. The food group, who are responsible for Kips and Zwan meat, will slowly phase out the meat products that they currently offer.

Commenting on their decision, the CEO of Zwanenberg, Ronald Lotgerink, has said that this change is just in keeping with the times. ‘It is now quite normal for young people to not eat meat three days a week,’ he said. Zwanenberg’s announcement comes at a time when meat consumption is declining across Europe. As Lotgerink notes, this change seems to be led by young people, many of whom have adopted vegan lifestyles.

Currently, 90% of Zwanenberg’s turnover comes from meat products, but they hope to reduce this to 50%. The meat products they will phase out will be replaced by veggie snacks, soups and sauces.

This isn’t the first move that the company have made towards a meat-free future, having sold off the fresh meat business it owned for €40m.

The owner of Zwanenberg, Aldo van der Laan, believes that the current trend of eating less meat is not set to change anytime soon, and he’s open about looking to profit from this change in public opinion. ‘As a food producer we are looking to profit from this by being specific companies or building more factories,’ says van der Laan.

The company’s recent decisions indicate that not only are consumer choice’s to move away from animal products having an impact on business, but that these businesses believe that the trends are here to stay.

Reduced consumer demand for meat products will have a positive knock on effect for plant-based products as businesses are keen to invest in vegetarian options so their profit margins don’t decrease.

Image credit: Zwan | Impossible Foods | Cheap and Cheerful

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