Food & Beverage

Plant-based proteins for pizza getting very popular

Photo by istock.com

August 20, 2021

Pizza is more popular than ever and consumers are hungry for plant-based protein meat choices and ingredients. In fact, the shipped number of units jumped 56% in the second quarter of this year compared to 2020.

That's a prime finding from a NPD Group report that also revealed there were 1.2 billion servings of pizza ordered in the quarter ending June 2021, a spike of 4% compared to the same quarter last year, according to a press release on the data.

Just about 20% of consumers want to increase the amount of plant-based proteins they consume, according to the release.

Broadline shipments of cauliflower dough and crusts to pizza operators increased by 46% in the quarter ending June compared to the same quarter year ago. Plant-based chicken analogue shipments to pizza operators increased by 98% and plant-based Italian sausage analogues by 72% in the second quarter compared to a year ago, according to NPD.

"Plant-based is no longer just a niche player in the foodservice market. It's a mainstream ingredient that appeals to a broad section of consumers," Tim Fires, president of NPD's SupplyTrack service, said in the release. "It makes perfect sense that a popular food, like pizza, would now offer plant-based options."