Plant-based food market summary – Europe trends and implications
- European plant based food market reaches €16.3bn across six countries
- Plant based meat only represents 4% of plant based value sales
- Dairy alternatives outperform meat holding 21% of plant based market
- Nuts and seeds dominate traditional plant based categories with 45% value
- Flexitarian adoption rises as price gaps slow wider plant based uptake
The market for plant-based food is thriving in Europe.
Across six European countries – UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, France and the Netherlands – the plant-based food market is now worth €16.3bn, according to analytics company Circana.
Nevertheless, plant-based meat’s share of this market is significantly lower than that of other plant-based foods. While market share has declined somewhat over the past few years, this decline has been marginal and its share has been consistently low since at least 2023. Instead, traditional plant-based products such as nuts, seeds, beans, peas lentils and pulses dominate.
Plant-based meat and seafood only small part of overall market
Plant-based food in Europe is seeing significant success, growing at 5.1% year-on-year between 2024 and 2025, according to Circana. While growth has stalled in the UK and is declining in the Netherlands, it is propulsive in Germany and Spain.
Yet within this, plant-based meat is only a small part. The sector is seeing falling sales and consumers are sceptical. Major players like Beyond Meat are repeatedly seeing revenue declines.
Plant-based meat currently accounts for just 4.4% of the plant-based food market in terms of value sales as of 2025. Yet this has only declined a small amount, and its share was 4.7% in 2023.
The plant-based market itself represents 2.5% of food and drink sales in the six European countries covered.
Dairy alternatives still thrive
Unlike plant-based meat, dairy alternatives still make up a significant chunk of the market for plant-based foods.
In fact, they constitute 21% of value sales – more than five times that of plant-based meat.
Plant-based dairy is outperforming its animal-based equivalent, according to Circana.
In the dairy alternatives category, product launches championing health and functionality have come to the fore.
According to Marcus Edgar, associate at Eureka Communications, they “directly address the consumer desire for balanced nutrition, sustainable and healthier options at affordable prices”.
Traditional plant-based reigns supreme
More traditional plant-based categories are outperforming meat and seafood alternatives. Nuts and seeds, for example, take up 44.5% of the value sales in the market as of 2025, compared with 42.3% in 2023. Whilst beans, peas, lentils and pulses went from 17.3% market share in 2023 to 15.9% in 2025, they continued to significantly outperform plant-based meat.
“Shoppers are gravitating towards products that feel closer to whole foods, are perceived as healthier, and fit more easily into existing eating habits”, says Ananda Roy, senior vice president of global thought leadership and consumer goods advisor for Europe at Circana.
“Imitation is no longer enough. The data shows that plant-based meat alternatives are returning to growth by ‘breaking the meat mould’, focusing on taste, nutrition and price competitiveness rather than direct replication.”
The boom in flexitarianism is driving market growth. While vegetarianism and veganism are still niche – only 11% of Europeans identify as vegetarian or vegan – the proportion of flexitarians has gone from 21% in 2023 to 31% as of 2024.
However, price differences between plant-based and animal-based proteins remain a key barrier to adoption.
Plant-based should be integrated into brand strategies, rather than isolated, suggests Circana.
Consumers want functional benefits from plant-based
Health, nutrition and value are the most prominent concerns for consumers.
From beverages, 28% of consumers want immune defence, 21% want protein and 17% want energy. In particular, plant-based is “gaining traction as a protein source”, says Circana’s Roy, although not all protein offerings are equal.
Gut health is also a key priority for consumers, as are digestion and stress reduction.
The rise of GLP-1s is accelerating these trends, as consumers seek higher nutrient density from food.
The plant-based category is “well positioned to meet these needs”, suggests Roy.