And it’s also the most expensive here.
Eating a plant-based diet is sometimes seen as quite a radical move, and often people have the misconception that only vegans and vegetarians eat meat substitutes. However, this can easily be proven wrong by the sheer number of plant-based, faux-meat products sold in the Netherlands each year. [Featured photo: Unsplash]
In the past couple of years, sales of faux meat products have doubled in the Netherlands, meaning that, as a country, we have spent 291 million euros over the past 2 years on these kinds of products.
Even more surprisingly, the Netherlands clearly has a love affair with plant-based cheese. Whilst demand for plant-based cheese is growing rapidly across Europe, the Netherlands leads the way, with purchases of plant-based cheese having increased by 400% over the past couple of years.
In actuality, Germany consumes the most meat substitutes in Europe, but per capita, the Netherlands holds the title. This is, in part, due to the sheer amount that the Dutch spend on these kinds of products. We spend around 17 euros annually, per person. This compares to around 7 euros in the UK, and only 4 euros in Germany.
So, we eat the highest levels of meat substitutes per capita in Europe but it also costs us more than anywhere else in Europe. That’s some commitment to the cause, Amsterdam!