Why Vegan Ice Cream Is Becoming More And More Popular
Following a sustaining surge in the plant-based industry, vegan ice cream in gaining more and more popularity
This article is more than 2 years old
The presence and popularity of plant-derived foods have exploded in recent years. A slew of companies, like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, have entered the space. As result, it has become relatively commonplace to see grocery store shelves lined with a plethora of meat-alternative, vegetarian, and vegan options. Among the heaps of plant-based products that have begun to pick up steam in popular culture is vegan ice cream. The plant-based treats and the companies who produce them are enjoying immense surges in popularity right now as society enters the summer season. The timing couldn’t be more impeccable.
Brittany Martin, who works as an editor of Vegetarian Times, beamed to NPR about the surge of interest in vegan ice cream. Martin then went on to point out, that until recently, there was almost a stigma that went along with vegan ice cream. She explained that the assumption she would see individuals frequently make was that vegan ice cream was definitively inferior to dairy-based ice cream. However, she remarked that there now is a noticeable shift in attitudes about how people feel about the plant-derived treat.
Martin believes that the reason for the shifting opinions regarding vegan ice cream is twofold. She explained that in recent years there has been a remarkable uptick in the number of people who have converted to a vegan or vegetarian diet. Inherently, when more people adopt a certain lifestyle the demand for products associated with that lifestyle increases. Referencing vegan ice cream, in particular, “Market reports say that there’s been something like a 300% increase just since 2018,” noted Martin.
Furthermore, Martin went on to explain that there has been an increased willingness for more people to try plant-based products even if they don’t strictly follow a vegan or vegetarian diet. She mentions that this could be motivated by things such as health or even just curiosity. Additionally, with people becoming more and more aware of the detrimental effects that cattle farming has on the environment, there has been a shift in the number of people reducing the amount of meat and dairy products that they consume. Vegan ice cream slides in nicely to fill that growing hole.
Moreover, the surging popularity of vegan ice cream may also be attributed to more key players entering the space. Less than five years ago vegan ice cream was somewhat of a novelty. There were only a few niche brands manufacturing it. Finding the plant-based dessert in your run-of-the-mill grocery store could be equated to sighting a yeti back then. However, with more and more people willing to hop on the plant-based bandwagon, key players in the food industry began to take notice. “You’re gonna see Ben & Jerry’s non-dairy in the aisles of a Walgreens or any old supermarket,” said Martin to NPR.
Lastly, a nice perk to having ice cream icons like Ben & Jerry’s enter the space is the fact that these companies have the capital and food technology to manufacture the vegan dessert to the highest degree of quality on a large scale. That is incredibly difficult for smaller businesses to do. Judging by the way things are playing out at present, it’s safe to say that vegan ice cream has a bright future ahead of it.
