Despite the bad rep Millennials sometimes get, this powerful group of consumers is set on changing the world!

According to Acosta, a leading full-service sales and marketing agency in the consumer packaged goods industry, eighty-one percent of Millennials, 74 percent of Gen X, and 66 percent of Baby Boomers revealed that protein content is “extremely or very influential when making grocery store purchases.” The research showed that each generation thinks of protein differently and here’s the exciting part: plant-based meat alternatives are growing 11 percent in units year after year. In fact, seventy-one percent of shoppers who purchase plant-based meat alternatives consider themselves meat-eaters.

What’s more, Millennials are taking center stage in the fight for a more sustainable food system as twenty-six percent of Millennials identify as vegan or vegetarian and even those who choose to eat meat consume four or more vegetarian dinners each week. That means one in every three meals is vegetarian for meat-eating Millennials!

So, what does this study tell us? It tells us that Millennials understand that plants are also packed with protein and are a more sustainable source of food, compared to animals. Need more proof that Millennials are out to save the world? A recent poll conducted by The Grocer in the UK found that nearly half of Millennials have cut out meat because of its environmental impact. This is powerful considering how the industrial animal agriculture industry is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transportation sector combined!

With the help of Millennials, a group that has over $1 trillion in buying power, we are seeing a shift in consumer behavior towards a more sustainable food system. If you’re as excited as we are over this promising news, be sure to share this article within your network!

To learn more about the environmental impact of our food choices as well as trends and developments in the plant-based food space, check out our podcast #EatForThePlanet with Nil Zacharias.

Lead Image Source: Beyond Meat