With widespread interest in plant-based meals, Americans are seeking mealtime shortcuts
PETALUMA, CALIF. (April 4, 2023) – The plant-based food movement is on the rise, which is why Amy’s Kitchen, the national leader of organic and vegetarian frozen and canned foods, surveyed over 2,000 Americans nationwide to better understand the motivations behind the meatless mindset. Amy’s Kitchen found that while a majority of Americans express a curiosity in vegan foods, parents are especially intrigued, with two thirds (66%) of parents saying they’re curious about vegan foods.
Vegan Curiosity on the Rise – With more than 100,000 internet searches per month for “vegan recipes” and “vegetarian recipes”, it’s clear there is high demand for plant-based meals. The survey found that 52% of adults are vegan-curious and illustrated consumers’ desire for time-saving solutions to preparing plant-forward dishes. In fact, 56% of adults said they want shortcuts to plant-based meals.
Every individual may have their own unique reasons, but the survey revealed Americans’ most common motivators for purchasing or eating plant-based foods were their health (55%), a desire to protect the environment (34%) and they preferred the taste of plant-based ingredients (28%).
“Whether or not consumers choose to go vegetarian or simply want to incorporate more plants into their diets, when they choose Amy’s Kitchen they can count on the best ingredients,” said Chief Culinary Officer Fred Scarpulla. “This recent survey underscores consumers’ curiosity in plant-based meals, and we’re thrilled to feed that curiosity with delicious, organic vegetarian meals.”
Family-Friendly Meal Challenges – By all accounts, incorporating more plants into your diet has its benefits. But for many busy adults, especially parents, preparing nutritious, family-friendly meals can be challenging. The survey found that nearly seven in 10 (69%) parents struggle to find convenient meals they feel good about feeding their kids and seek shortcuts to plant-based meals.
For the 61% of parents surveyed who look for frozen meal options that make it easier to prepare a healthy family meal, Amy’s Kitchen offers a variety of kid-friendly favorites that taste homemade, like Amy’s Spinach Pizza, Amy’s Macaroni & Cheese and Amy’s Organic Black Bean Veggie Burgers. From scratch-made sauces to veggies and other organic ingredients, Amy’s recipes are cooked, then frozen just like you might freeze leftovers at home.
Dietary and Lifestyle Restrictions – While food trends indicate Americans crave convenient mealtime solutions, the need for inclusive food products is even more pronounced for those with lifestyle dietary restrictions and the 32 million Americans who have food allergies. The survey found that 45% of parents say they or someone in their household have dietary restrictions, nearly half of all households, and 72% of those parents claim that finding prepared foods that meet their family’s needs is very or extremely challenging.
Amy’s Kitchen prioritizes inclusion when developing new recipes and therefore does not use any meat, peanuts, fish, shellfish or eggs in any of their recipes. With more than 120 vegan, 100 gluten free and dozens of Kosher products, those with food sensitivities and allergies have a variety of snack and meal options to consider.
Amy’s Kitchen products are sold at retailers nationwide. To learn more, visit https://www.amys.com/community/our-blog/20-food-facts-to-know-in-2023.
About the Survey
Amy’s Kitchen commissioned Atomik Research to conduct an online survey of 2,007 adults across the United States. The sample consists of 1,003 parents of children younger than 18 and 1,004 adults who do not have any children younger than 18 living at home. The margin of error for the overall sample is +/- 2 percentage points with a confidence level of 95 percent. Fieldwork took place February 16-18, 2023.
About Amy’s Kitchen
Amy’s Kitchen is a family owned food company and Certified B Corporation® whose purpose is to make it easy and enjoyable for everyone to eat well. The company is committed to cooking authentic great tasting food with high quality, meticulously sourced organic ingredients so consumers can enjoy them in minutes. Amy’s Kitchen offers over 135 varieties of organic frozen and packaged foods, and the company is proud to offer options across gluten free, vegan, dairy free, lactose free, soy free, tree nut free, corn free, Kosher D, Kosher DE, and light in sodium categories. Amy’s products are widely available in the U.S. as well as more than 11 other countries around the globe. To find Amy’s products near you, please visit https://www.amys.com/where-to-buy.
