Nestlé’s foodservice arm, Nestlé Professional, has launched its ‘Sweet Earth’ plant-based range in North Africa and the Middle East. The range comprises The Awesome Burger, Vegetarian Schnitzel, and Vegetarian Nuggets. We look at the growth prospects for meat-free products.
Nestlé is positioning the products at consumers who want meat-free options in their diet. Sweet Earth was founded in 2012 in the US and acquired by Nestlé in 2017. Its range also includes pizza, seitan, plant-based “chicken”, plant-based sausages and burritos. By 2013, the first Sweet Earth products were stocked in Whole Foods Market stores. By 2019, the company made more than 40 items. In Europe the products are branded as Garden Gourmet.
Vegan food is not, of course, new in North Africa. Staples such as koshary, hummus, falafel, foul medames and coucous are routinely made with no meat products or derivatives. The innovation for Nestlé is offering vegan alternatives to products that are emphatically not part of local cuisine, although burgers and nuggets are increasingly popular in both Morocco and Egypt.
Nestlé makes little mention of which specific demographics it is targetting. In North Africa, veganism appeals to younger tourists, including visitors to places like Dahab (Egypt) and Marrakech. Despite the prevalence of vegan foods in North African cuisine the concept is still quite new. By default, veganism is primarily an economic consideration, i.e. a poor person’s diet rather than a lifestyle choice.
As such, the target demographics for specifically vegan alternatives are higher income, younger, health and ethically conscious, and primarily female consumers. It is still a niche concept with almost zero appeal outside tourist hotspots, large hotels and the largest cities. Even in HORECA, the concept of “vegetarian-friendly” is still an emerging concept. Less so in Morocco and Tunisia than in Egypt.
While the meat-free movement has exploded in popularity in Europe and the US, meat consumption in much of Africa is still extremely low (South Africa is a notable exception) and meat consumption is still seen as aspirational (for most consumers), nutritious and having an important role in the development of children’s health, for example. Stunting and levels of malnutrition remain high in poorer rural areas of North Africa and across much of sub Saharan Africa. This shows itself not only in [positive] attitudes towards meat, but also towards fat and sugar more generally.
We expect the pick up of vegan food to be quite modest away from tourist areas and large hotels catering to international clientele. The most obvious route into the mainstream will be via the largest multinational QSR chains such as McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC and Pizza Hut, where local franchise partners may introduce a vegan alternative on the menu.
