Plant-based foods in Poland

Market and consumer insights for food-industry professionals

Discover new opportunities in the Polish plant-based food market. What are Polish consumers’ consumption behaviours and expectations around plant-based food? 

If you work in the food industry in Poland, this is a must-read! In this article, you’ll learn how Polish consumers are behaving, what they expect from plant-based foods, and what commercial opportunities exist for the food industry.

Plant-based food in the Poland – key highlights:

• Consumer profile: 24% of Polish consumers identify as flexitarians, while 6% follow a plant-based diet (vegan+vegetarian).

• Consumption of animal-based products: In terms of animal-based food, Polish consumers consume milk (32% daily) the most frequently, followed by cheese (24% daily) and yoghurt (23% daily). In terms of meat, poultry is the most consumed (60% at least once a week). 

• Consumption of plant-based products: Looking at plant-based food, plant-based milk (24% at least once a week), plant-based cheese (24% at least once a week), and plant-based yoghurt (23% at least once a week) are the most frequently consumed.

• Plant-based meat and fish consumption: Polish consumers specifically wish they could buy plant-based burger patties (34%) and chicken breast (34%) in supermarkets. Polish consumers specifically wish they could buy plant-based smoked salmon (29%) and fish sticks (27%). 

• Plant-based dairy consumption: In terms of plant-based cheese, Polish consumers would especially like to see plant-based sliced cheese (38%) and plant-based mozzarella (36%) available in supermarkets. 

Plant-based plain milk (€37m) accounts for almost 90% of plant-based milk sales (€43m). The remaining 10% come from plant-based flavoured milk (€5.7m). The plant-based plain-milk sector is dominated by almond (€9.1m), followed by oat (€7.5m) and soya (€6.9m). The sector showed double-digit growth in sales value (76%) and even triple-digit growth in discounters (126%) over the past two periods. The plant-based flavoured-milk sector is dominated by soya (€3.8m), followed by rice (€653k) and oat (€630m). Discount stores showed triple-digit growth over the past two periods.

• Preferred ingredients for plant-based foods: Potatoes, rice and beans are Polish consumers’ favourite ingredients in plant-based foods: 45% are in favour of plant-based food products that include potatoes as a main ingredient, 40% prefer rice whereas 38% selected beans.

To learn more, download the report ‘Plant-based food in Poland’ for free here.