Sales of plant-based eggs are up more than 1,000 pct in the US!

BASED on vegetable or mushroom proteins, alternatives to hens' eggs now seem to be the latest must-have foodstuff. In the United States, dollar sales of plant-based eggs have grown more than 1,000% in the last three years, while their conventional counterparts saw dollar sales drop 4% in the last year.

Soy patties and other plant-based alternatives to meat products have long spearheaded the market for animal-free products, with plant-based meat sales up 74% over the past three years.

But what were yesterday's food innovations are now becoming everyday foods that consumers are getting used to buying. Vegan eggs are a perfect example.

According to a report from the American association promoting these new foods (the Plant Based Food Association), based on US retail sales figures from the consultancy firm Data Spins, dollar sales of plant-based eggs increased 42% last year.

These alternatives to hens' eggs are quickly winning over consumers. Three years ago, this new food accounted for just 0.05% of the egg market. Today, it's 0.6%.

In fact, shoppers are enriching their diets with new products, starting with plant-based dairy alternatives. For milk specifically, dollar sales now stand at $2.6 billion.

Plant-based milk even accounts for 16% of dollar sales in the entire milk category. Almond milk is the top choice among shoppers, ahead of oat milk. But that's not all.

Consumers are also buying yogurts (+9%) and cheese (+7%) free from animal proteins.

They're even turning to ice cream without conventional milk (+32% in the last two years).

The success of these new products mirrors the success of plant-based alternatives, a market valued at an all-time high of $7.4 billion in 2021.

In fact, plant-based food retail sales grew three times faster than total food retail sales. Note that today, 62% of American households, some 79 million -- are now buying plant-based products.