A plant-based diet is widely considered better for the environment and human health than a meat-based one. However, global adoption of these diets remains limited. The EAT–GlobeScan Grains of Truth report takes a closer look at this trend, analyzing the results of an online survey conducted in July and August 2024 with a representative sample of 30,216 people in 31 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America. The survey was designed to capture consumer behavior related to plant-based diets and identify the barriers and opportunities associated with them.

The report indicates that while many consumers are reevaluating their eating habits, they face several obstacles in shifting to a plant-based diet, including economic pressures, concerns about taste, and regional differences in food culture and availability.

The Diet Transformation Has Stalled

The survey found that over two-thirds of people (68%) want to eat more plant-based foods, but only 20% report doing so “most of the time” or “all of the time” — a decline from 23% in 2023.

The top two factors standing in their way? More than four in ten (42%) say that price and 35% say that flavor are barriers to eating more plant-based foods.

The Generational Divide

Younger generations are very interested in plant-based foods. Millennials express the most interest (72%), followed by Gen X (69%) and Gen Z (69%). While older people focus more on eating healthy foods than following a veg*n diet in particular, more than half of Baby Boomers (58%) are at least open to the idea of eating more plant-based foods.

Across all generations, price is the biggest barrier, especially for Gen X (44%) and Baby Boomers (43%). Taste also becomes more of an issue with age, with 38% of Baby Boomers identifying flavor as a barrier compared to 33% of Gen Z.

Regional Differences

Fewer people are regularly eating plant-based foods in some parts of the world. Compared to 2023, plant-based food consumption has dropped by more than five percentage points in Europe (now at 18%), Asia-Pacific (now at 14%), and North America (now at 13%).

As food prices increase, many consumers are returning to cheaper, familiar options — especially in North America and Europe, where concerns about the cost of plant-based foods are highest (48% and 46%, respectively). But, again, price isn’t the only barrier. Flavor is also a global concern, though not equally. Far more people in North America (45%) find taste an issue than in Latin America (23%).

Compared to the rest of the world, more people in Asia-Pacific, particularly China and Vietnam, have nutritional concerns about plant-based foods (23%), while more people in Africa/Middle East feel that plant-based foods are hard to find and prepare (32%).

Two-thirds of consumers (66%) prefer real meat to plant-based alternatives, up from 58% in 2020. This preference is especially pronounced in Australia, North America, and Europe. People in Latin America are the most open to meat-like options.

Reasons For Hope

While health remains the top reason for eating less meat (41%), financial concerns (17%) now matter more to people than animal welfare (15%), which the report links to the global cost-of-living crisis. As a result, there’s growing support for policies such as lower taxes on healthy and sustainable foods (86%) to make them more accessible — representing an opportunity for action.

Other key recommendations include:

• Plant-based food companies should work on overcoming persistent issues with flavor and texture.
• Clear, transparent labeling and third-party certification could help to gain consumer trust in plant-based foods.
• Narratives should reinforce the link between plant-based diets and wider objectives like health and climate action.
• Different consumer segments and regions need different solutions to increase plant-based eating. For example, public health campaigns could help fight nutrition myths in parts of Asia-Pacific and Latin America, where these concerns are highest, while focusing on cultural food preferences could help reluctant older consumers with concerns about taste.

Ultimately, this report shows that many people would like to switch to plant-based diets, but factors like price, habits, convenience, taste, and trust are holding them back. But, despite these obstacles, a strong majority of consumers (69%) believe the world would be better with less meat. If governments, companies, advocates, and consumers work together to solve these problems, plant-based diets could help tackle climate change and food insecurity.