Vegan meat and dairy alternatives now share the same price as traditional meat and dairy, a study has found.
The study – conducted by food awareness organisation Proveg and supermarket researcher Questionmark – found price hikes of animal products in the supermarkets between February and June this year.
The organisations compared the prices of alt-meat to their animal-based counterparts and found that the plant-based meat products did not suffer the same price increase despite inflation.
“This news supports the research that there is simply not enough land, water or oil to keep fuelling the cost of animal products,” said Claire Insley, media spokesperson for the Vegan Society
“As governments attempt to mitigate climate change globally, the simplest change remains eating a plant-based diet.”
The study also revealed that there are already higher costs across the meat and dairy industry, with a vegan diet cheaper in Aotearoa, saving up to 40 per cent of the food budget. The savings are said to be found using beans, lentils, and pulses as the primary protein source.
Pablo Moleman, the founder of ProVeg, explained that meat is more sensitive to disruptions due to the number of resources required to produce.
“Meat has always been a product that requires an enormous amount of raw materials,” said Moleman.
“To make one kilogram of meat, you need up to ten kilograms of grain. Now, in times of scarcity, that takes its toll. Plant-based meat clearly wins out on efficiency, and we now see that reflected in the price.”
