Supermarket Perimeter - February 2022 - 3

Editor's note
Editorial
JOHN UNREIN
Editor
ANDY NELSON
Managing Editor
Publishing
TROY ASHBY
Publisher
GRETCHEN WAGNER
National Account Executive
LILY ALVAREZ
National Account Executive
WHITNEY HARTMAN
Sales Enablement Specialist
MICHAEL BARBEE
Audience Development Director
DUSTIN PICKMAN
Audience Development Analyst
HANNAH CARNEY
Audience Database Specialist
LAUREN JULIANA
Audience Development
Coordinator
JON HALL
Director of Digital Media
CARRIE FLUEGGE
Digital Advertising Manager
NORA WAGES
Advertising Manager
ANNIE FOURNIER
Advertising Coordinator
ELISABETH SPILLMAN
Design Services Manager
MARJ POTTS
Production Specialist
BECKY WHITE
Senior Design Consultant
FIONA DANKER
Senior Graphic Designer
KATELYN BETZ
Graphic Designer
JIM WHITE
Promotions Manager
ABBY CHRONISTER
Promotions Media Designer
Corporate
CHARLES S. SOSLAND
Chairman and CEO
L. JOSHUA SOSLAND
President
STACI GRECO
Chief Financial and
Administrative Officer
MEYER SOSLAND
Chief Operating Officer
and Executive Editor
JIM SALADIN
Chief Marketing Officer
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supermarketperimeter.com
FEBRUARY 2022 - 3
ANDY NELSON
anelson@sosland.com
(Food)
flexing
Maybe it's because of the extreme partisanship dominating so
many of the political, social and other realms of our lives these
days, but the idea of finding solutions somewhere in the middle
seems more appealing than ever.
In the food world, one compromise solution that's gaining traction every year is
flexitarianism. For health, environmental or other reasons, flexitarians eat mostly non-meat
products (fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes, etc.) But they mix in meats here and there
to get their protein or, you know, because meat tastes really good.
Many food marketers are targeting flexitarians -as opposed to vegetarians on the one
end or paleo dieters on the other -for future growth, and they have good reason to do so.
According to the Hartman Group, 41% of plant-based purchasers thought of themselves
as people who were limiting meat, and 1 in 5 described themselves as carnivores. Only
12% of plant-based purchasers described themselves as vegetarians, while 41% of them
described their eating styles as " omnivore. "
" Veganism and vegetarian diets are not the driving force behind consumer interest in
plant-based products, " said consultant Amy Marks-McGee. " Instead, consumers with a wide
range of lifestyles and flexitarian diets are pursuing plant-based products, driven by flavor,
texture, wellness, and desire for variety. "
According to KeHE Distributors' list of trends to keep an eye on in 2022, shoppers are
" choosing to eat more of a flexitarian diet with less meat and more plants rather than
committing to becoming a vegan or vegetarian. This holds true for other popular diets like
keto as well, choosing lower carb over low carb. "
And the rise in flexitarianism is not hurting the meat industry. Just take a look at the
numbers. Retail meat sales hit new highs during the first year of the pandemic that industry
insiders didn't think could be matched. In 2021, however, they were not only equaled, they
were surpassed.
Flexitarianism isn't right for everyone, but for a growing number of Americans, it's the
sensible, moderate solution.
Nothing wrong with moderation.

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Supermarket Perimeter - February 2022

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