Our supermarket shelves are lined with meat and dairy products, ranging from cheese to milk and minced beef.

The average Australian consumes more than 22 kilograms of meat and 90 kilograms of dairy each year.

But over the past five years, Australians have increasingly turned to alternative proteins. Six in ten people report trying, or being interested in trying, plant-based products.

That’s based on evidence suggesting that eating a plant-based diet – meaning foods that don’t contain animal products and are minimally processed – may have certain health and environmental benefits.

As demand for plant-based foods grew, so did the market for plant-based eateries and alternative protein products. In 2022, Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO, launched its “protein roadmap” which estimated the alternative protein market would be worth A$13 billion by 2030.

However, recent trends show we may be losing our appetite for meat and dairy alternatives.

Restaurants closing and products disappearing

Over........

© The Conversation