According to a survey by the retail chain Coop, 20 percent of Danes are eating less meat than they did a year ago, and this trend is expected to continue, DR reports.
Coop’s sale of meat has hit a standstill after five consecutive years of increases. The survey showed that only 6 percent of Coop’s customers are eating more meat, and that it is especially people under 30 and over 70 who are reducing their consumption.
Thomas Roland, the head of Coop’s responsibility department, said the supermarket chain is expecting to see new buying habits in years to come.
“Our expectation is that we will continue to see a fall in volume, but that those who continue to eat meat will go for better quality or, for example, a higher level of animal welfare,” he said.
Ethical considerations
Meanwhile, sales of alternative protein sources – such as beans, nuts and the dairy product skyr – have doubled in the past two years.
The developments might in part be because consumers are taking ethical considerations into account.
Of those surveyed, 12 percent said an organic label was a big factor, 12 percent took animal welfare into account, and 7 percent had an eye on the environment when they do their shopping.
