The growing trend towards veganism is clear. The global vegan food market was valued at $14.2 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach $31.4 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 10.5% from 2019 to 2026. And in July 2019, the vegan food manufacturer Beyond Meat had a market value of $12 billion! As the buzz around vegan products grows, and with leading brands launching their own vegan product lines in 2020, what can we expect the top vegan trends to be in 2021?

1. Vegan Snacks 

As consumer proclivity for vegan food continues to soar, so does their demand for snacks. In 2021, the introduction of new snacks, flavors and nutrient profiles will increase consumer demand further. According to Globe News Wire, snack chips are the most popular plant-based snack product. In March 2020 they revealed that, “manufacturers are leveraging high growth potential of healthy snack chips market by multinational and regional companies. Industry heavyweights are targeting investments in food technology, to meet the global demand for healthy snack chips”.

2. Seaweed

Seaweed is a vegan snack food trend which is predicted to experience incredible growth in 2021. With its market poised to grow by $11.48 billion during 2020-2024. The popularity of red, green and brown seaweed is the result of the sustainability trend of reducing methane emissions. Seaweed is also a strong source of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. As well as being a popular food source, seaweed can also serve as an innovative source of energy, protein, fertilizer, clothing materials, as well as possessing useful ingredients for the pharmaceutical industry. 

3. Farm to Fork / Farm to Table Supply Structure and Vegan ERP

Safety is a natural prerequisite for food, and a “farm to fork” (“or farm to table”) approach to  the vegan food supply chain will be a vital trend in 2021. In September 2020 a new rule proposed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established a list of foods which would require additional record keeping beyond what existing regulations demand. The most efficient vegan food enterprises will harness the power of traceability software, as a means to meet the ever-increasing demands of the FDA. The software can hold and present all the key data — knowing for any item on a sales order, what purchase orders it connects to.  For recalls, quality control, and customer satisfaction, traceability solutions stitch together the logistical and legal demands of a food and beverage operation. With the right ERP (enterprise resource planning) and traceability solution, everything is at the user’s fingertips. Saving time and money and precisely meeting the “farm to table” rules for vegan food and beverage manufacturers. 

4. Vegan Butchers

The United Kingdom’s first entirely vegan butchers, Rudy’s, opens in November 2020 in North London. According to Vegan Food and Living, “visitors to the store will be greeted with an array of innovative meat alternatives from homemade pastrami and dirty burger patties to a rack of jack, lobstah salad, meatballs, chick’n lover pate and shredded BBQ pulled porc”. In fact plant-based butchers can be found around the world. Since 2016, The Herbivorous Butcher has been open in Minnesota, to much acclaim, as has No Evil Foods, a vegan meat company located in Asheville, North Carolina. As the demand for plant-based meat alternatives continue to rise, you can bet more vegan butchers will be opening up in 2021. 

5. Ice Cream

Vegan ice cream can be made from various sources such as almonds milk, soy milk, coconut milk, cashew milk, and rice milk. And it will be a leading vegan food trend in 2021. A rise in lactose intolerance will fuel the demand for dairy-free ice cream alternatives. As will the emphasis on health and wellness that has developed since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

If your vegan food and beverage company is looking to scale and grow via ERP solutions, traceability and demand planing software, and meet all the FDA requirements, get in touch with Cashmere today.