What is a reductarian? A concise consumer trends summary
- Reductarians consciously reduce meat, dairy and eggs over time
- Unlike flexitarians, reductarians emphasise ongoing reduction rather than flexibility
- Hybrid meat products support gradual transitions alongside plant based foods
- Roughly half of UK and German consumers aim to reduce meat
- UK meat replacement peaked 2023 while german beef intake fell 5%
As plant-based meat declines in popularity, a number of its associated dietary patterns are receding as well.
Veganism, for example, has seen a decline as consumers become increasingly motivated by health in their food choices.
Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean that no one is trying to reduce their meat intake.
The decline in meat consumption and the popularity of hybrid meat have given rise to a new type of consumer: the reductarian.
What is a reductarian?
A reductarian is “anyone who is mindfully making an effort to consume fewer animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs”, explains Daniel Braune, food systems sustainability lead at advocacy group ProVeg International.
A reductarian is similar to a flexitarian, and on many occasions the terms are used interchangeably. However, there is a key difference.
“While some see flexitarians as people who occasionally eat meat (the ‘casual vegetarian’), reductarians are defined by the trajectory of reduction.”
Definitions of ‘flexitarian’ often range widely, says Braune, ranging from consumers who only have one meat free day per week to those who eat a mostly vegetarian diet. But they are by definition ‘flexible’, and don’t entirely renounce meat.
By contrast, even vegetarians and vegans could be considered ‘reductarians’, as they have made the conscious decision to reduce meat.
The reductarian dietary pattern aligns closely with the popularity of hybrid meat products, according to consumer behaviour expert Marija Banovic, associate professor at Aarhus University.
“Consequently, rather than overtaking plant-based meat as a category, hybrid products are more likely to complement and coexist with plant-based offerings, serving distinct consumer segments along a continuum of dietary transition.”
Are consumers still reducing meat intake?
Despite the decline of plant-based meat’s popularity, many consumers are still looking to cut down on meat consumption. According to a survey by think-tank The Good Food Institute, around half of UK and German consumers are aiming to either reduce their meat consumption or eat more plant-based foods.
This was compared with fewer than one in ten consumers in both countries describing themselves as vegans, vegetarians or pescatarians.
However, the rate of people reducing meat is no longer growing in some markets. According to the market research company Nielsen IQ, the share of UK consumers replacing meat with a non-meat option at mealtimes at least once a week grew from 27% in 2020 to 39% in 2023, before declining by 1% in 2024.
Meanwhile, in Germany, consumers are still cutting down on meat consumption. For example, per capita consumption of beef and veal fell by 5% in 2023, and volume sales of processed meat declined by 1.3% in the same year.
While inconsistent, meat reduction is clearly still popular for many consumers. Despite the decline of plant-based meat and the recent failures of cultivated meat, many still have an appetite for change.
