Plant-Based Meat Sales Surge 264% in Nine Weeks as Meat Shortages Hit the US

Sales of plant-based meat in US grocery stores have surged 264% during the coronavirus lockdown, according to new Nielsen data.

The figures cover the nine weeks ending May 2, and the growth was faster than plant-based meat had been managing before the pandemic. Bloomberg reports the figure, which covers brands like Beyond Meat and Tofurky, under the headline "Coronavirus Lockdown Spurs 264% Boom in Plant-Based Meat".

Part of the reason is what has been happening to the meat supply. Outbreaks of Covid-19 forced closures at Tyson and Smithfield plants, and Fortune reports that shoppers facing a potential nationwide meat shortage turned to the plant-based aisle. Nielsen had already recorded fresh meat alternative sales up 255.3% year on year for the week ending March 28.

The companies making the products told Fortune they are seeing a shift:

"We see this as a pivotal moment," said Stuart Kronauge, chief marketing officer of Beyond Meat.

"The looming meat shortage especially has encouraged people to look beyond what they typically eat, and turn to plant-based options," said Jaime Athos, CEO of Tofurky.

"The pandemic has consumers reevaluating how and what they eat, making the link between the food they eat and health," said Michael Watt, CEO of Daiya Foods.

That link is the important bit. Plenty of people trying a plant-based burger for the first time this spring did it because the meat counter was bare. Many will stay because they like it, and because it's better for them. A University of Oxford study in PNAS found that a global shift to plant-based eating would save more than 8 million lives by 2050, and plant proteins are more heart-healthy than animal proteins.

Panic buying has never looked so progressive.

This is the latest sign of the plant-based revolution Google predicted. Last year Beyond Meat shares surged 163% on their first day, Burger King rolled out the Impossible Whopper to every US restaurant and KFC's vegan fried chicken sold out in under five hours. This year KFC sold a million vegan burgers in the UK in a month.

Stay safe, stay home, and fill the trolley with plants. No meat, no problem.