INSPO Fitness Journal July 2017

LESS MEAT,
MORE VEG
More than 50 percent of
Kiwis say they are eating less
meat, and a quarter expect to
be mostly meat-free by 2025,
as they focus on their health
and budget according to the
results of a new survey.
It seems the days of a nightly meal of meat
and two veg may soon be a thing of the
past, with one in five (21%) saying they
choose to have a meat-free dinner for more
than half of the week.
The Bean Supreme survey which investigated
the eating habits of more than 1000
New Zealanders found that one in four (24%)
expect to be mostly meat-free within the
next seven years.
Health played a key role in their selection
of a vegetarian meal choice with four in 10
(42%) respondents giving this reason. This
was followed by cost (28%) and concerns for
animal welfare or the environment (14%).
Only two percent of those surveyed said they
did not eat meat due to religious considerations.
Around 14% of Kiwi women and 13% of
Kiwi men do not eat red meat, with health
a primary driver for males (44% versus 41%
females) and cost more relevant to women
(30% - men 25%).
The survey also found that Kiwis were
more likely to reduce their meat consumption
and instead, opt for vegetarian meals
as they aged. According to the results, one
in five (21%) 18-24-year-olds (compared with
half aged 65 plus) selected ‘health concerns’
as the main reason for choosing a meat-free
meal.
Millennials aged 18-24 were the most
common age group to believe they would
follow a diet that was mainly meat-free over
the coming decade.
When it came
to special dietary
requirements it
was Aucklanders
who said they were
most likely to follow
vegan or vegetarian
nutritional plans
with those in the
Waikato/Bay of
Plenty regions less
keen on embracing
this trend.
Wellingtonians
and Otago/Southland
residents were
most open to adopting
a flexitarian/
semi-vegetarian
approach to dining
- with nine in ten
(88%) going without
meat at least once a
week.
The survey also
revealed that vegetarians
and vegans
were most frequently
found to be
female, aged 25-54,
and live in Auckland
or Canterbury.
While more
than eight in ten
(81%) Kiwis include
red meat in their
Vege burgers
diet, a seventh (14%) excluded red meat with
1% identifying as vegan, 2% vegetarian and
almost one in 10 (9%) saying they ate poultry
or fish but not red meat.
Liz O’Meara from Bean Supreme says it
was interesting to see that a similar proportion
of men and women chose not to eat
meat but men were more likely to choose
vegetarian meals for health reasons and
women more likely to choose vegetarian
options for lower cost.
“Kiwis’ developing interest in a ‘flexitarian’
diet has led to the introduction of more
products which fit this lifestyle option.
“According to new industry data, NZ sales
of products made from plant-based ingredients
such as vegetarian burgers, sausages,
tofu and falafel increased by more than 20%
in the last year alone,” she says.
(*The research was commissioned by Bean Supreme
and conducted online among more than 1007 New
Zealanders by an independent market research
agency. The data was collected in July 2017).
44 INSPO – FITNESS JOURNAL JULY 2017