Oregon and Washington have emerged as top states for vegetarians and vegans, thanks to their thriving plant-based food scenes and environmentally concerned people. These Pacific Northwest states have a variety of vegetarian and vegan eateries, farmers’ markets, and locally-grown produce.
Their dedication to sustainable living and environmental awareness has created a culture that encourages meat-free diets. Furthermore, several health-focused efforts and supportive networks help to increase the popularity of vegetarianism and veganism in these areas.
Whether you’ve been a vegetarian for a long time or are new to plant-based eating, Oregon and Washington welcome all vegetarians and vegans.
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The Study Reveals High Demand in Oregon and Washington
InsiderMonkey conducted a study that looked at the number of searches for vegetarian and vegan lifestyles per state, as well as the number of vegetarian eateries in each state, to discover which states have the largest rates of vegetarian and vegan consumers.
Oregon was ranked second on the list, behind only Hawaii. There are 99 vegetarian/vegan restaurants, resulting in 24 eateries per million inhabitants.
Washington ranks seventh, with 90 vegetarian/vegan eateries. The research concludes: “This suggests there is considerable room for improvement in terms of establishing more vegetarian-only food establishments in the state.”
Idaho was not ranked and has only nine vegetarian/vegan eateries.
Approximately 3% of the US population follows a vegan diet, though this figure appears to be increasing.
The Value of the Vegan and Plant-based Diet Market is Increasing
According to market.us, the global vegan meat industry is predicted to reach $19.1 billion by 2032, while the global plant-based diet market is expected to be worth approximately $31.1 billion.
According to their report, vegan food sales climbed by twice as much as other foods in 2020. From 2019 to 2020, plant-based food sales in the United States climbed by 27%, plant-based meat sales by 45%, and plant-based eggs by 168%.
Who are vegetarians and vegans?
According to several sources including market.us, we can grasp the following facts regarding vegetarians and vegans in the United States:
- 59% are female.
- 60% of Generation Z and Millennials are vegetarians or vegans.
- 40% followed the diet to become healthier.
- 14% of US consumers consume meat-free diets.
Is veganism and vegetarianism a threat to agriculture?
According to Our World in Data, switching the whole global population to plant-based meals will require 75% less agricultural land.
However, a report in Agriculture states:
crop-only production and an exclusively vegan diet may lead to the loss of important plant and animal genetic materials, increase pressure on land and water resources, and exacerbate problems with agricultural crop residues.
Additionally, this strategy “may affect the global meat trade, change the dynamics of some economies, and threaten food security in the event of pest and disease pandemics.”
Any large-scale efforts to alter diets to vegetarian or vegan will need to consider a wide range of elements. However, at the producer level, any plant producer will be able to sell their produce and goods to both local and export customers.
Dairy and cattle farmers may benefit from marketing to flexitarians (those who aim to limit their meat intake but do not follow a fully vegetarian diet). According to research in Europe, flexitarians choose locally produced protein and prioritize price value.
East Oregon University provides information about vegan farming for people seeking to become more sustainable.
Source: mega993online