Plant-based sales in the US continue to slide

WASHINGTON — The plant-based market struggled to make progress amid a challenging environment last year, according to The Good Food Institute’s (GFI) 2026 State of the Industry Report on plant-based meat, seafood, eggs, dairy and ingredients.

The report said global plant-based sales rose 3% from 2024 to 2025, totaling $28.9 billion across the plant-based meat, seafood, milk, yogurt, ice cream and cheese categories, citing data from Euromonitor. In the US market, however, SPINS data showed plant-based segment sales declined for the second straight year. Dollar sales fell 4% from 2023 to 2024 and 2% from 2024 to 2025, totaling $7.9 billion in sales across meat, dairy, eggs, protein powders and liquids, tofu, meals and baked goods last year. Unit sales additionally declined 3% in the United States over the same period.

“The plant-based category was impacted by evolving consumer expectations around taste, price, and health, among other factors, in 2025,” GFI said. “Lower consumer confidence and tariff impacts led to increased consumer concern about spending and challenging pricing dynamics for several plant- and animal-based categories.

“Despite higher-than-average price increases for some animal-based categories like beef, plant-based categories were still priced at significant premiums to their conventional counterparts. Consumer research continued to show that price and taste gaps were the top barriers to consumers choosing plant-based options.”

The plant-based meat and seafood segments generated $1 billion in 2025, though dollar sales and unit sales declined 10% and 11%, respectively, from 2024 to 2025. Within the plant-based meat and seafood categories, manufacturers identified growth opportunities in products with added flavors, such as Asian, Mexican and spicy, as a response to consumer interest in bold flavor profiles. Additionally, shreds, chunks, and strips formats grew 8% in unit sales, signaling a desire for cuts that have been traditionally underrepresented among plant-based meat and seafood products, according to the report.

Plant-based milks accounted for the largest portion of sales in 2025, representing $2.7 billion and a 13% share of total retail milk sales, according to The Good Food Institute.

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“There’s meaningful near-term growth potential by increasing purchase frequency among existing plant-based meat and seafood buyers,” GFI said. “The average household (that) purchased plant-based meat and seafood bought it about once a month (11.7 units per year) in 2025; doubling that to twice a month could unlock roughly $1 billion in additional sales.”

Plant-based milks accounted for the largest portion of sales in 2025, representing $2.7 billion and a 13% share of total retail milk sales. While dollar sales fell 2% from 2024, soy and coconut formats saw a 4% and 27% increase, respectively, in sales.

Plant-based bars, ready-to-drink beverages, baked foods and yogurt were among the segments with the strongest growth in sales during 2025, rising 16%, 12%, 9% and 7%, respectively. The plant-based creamer category generated the third most sales of any plant-based segment in 2025, with $761 million, marking a 2% increase over 2024.

“Despite these challenges, it’s clear consumers remain interested in plant-based products,” GFI said. “Both the number of households purchasing plant-based foods and the percentage doing so more than once remained steady in 2025, according to SPINS. GFI research in 2025 found that more than half of all US adults find plant-based meat appealing and are at least somewhat likely to eat it. Growth in select segments and products reflects strategies that may be working to reach consumers today, including tapping into growing consumer demand around health.”