GFI Europe: Plant-based food sales grow as price gap narrows across key markets

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Plant-based food sales volumes increased in four of Europe’s six leading retail markets in 2025, as products became more competitive on price and continued to improve on taste, according to new analysis of Circana data by GFI Europe.

• Plant-based food sales volumes grew in France, Germany, Italy and Spain in 2025, while the Netherlands recorded a slight decline and the UK contracted.
• Plant-based foods generally remained more expensive per kg than animal-based equivalents, but the price gap narrowed across most categories and markets.
• Plant-based milk remained the most mature category, reaching 7% to 10% of total milk volumes in Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.

The analysis covered France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. Across the six countries, plant-based foods generally remained more expensive per kg than their animal-based equivalents, but GFI Europe reported that the gap narrowed in most categories in 2025. In many cases, that shift was associated with higher sales volumes.

Helen Breewood, Senior Market & Consumer Insights Manager at GFI Europe, said, “Across leading European markets, we’re seeing clear evidence that consumers are interested in plant-based foods, but price and taste continue to shape purchasing decisions. While the price gap with animal products is closing in many categories, affordability alone is not sufficient for growth: a good eating experience is also crucial to reach larger audiences.”

France, Germany, Italy and Spain recorded overall sales volume growth across plant-based categories in 2025. The Netherlands saw a slight decline, while the UK recorded a contraction.

The data suggested affordability remained an important driver, but not the only one. In Italy, plant-based meat and milk both recorded sales growth as average prices declined slightly. In France, plant-based meat prices fell and sales volume increased by almost 17%. In Spain, plant-based milk remained the country’s most successful plant-based category and accounted for more than one in 10 liters of milk sold through retailers.

Tofu, tempeh and seitan also performed strongly in parts of the market. Sales volumes for those products increased by almost 30% in both Germany and the Netherlands in 2025. In the Netherlands, tofu cost roughly one-third as much as branded plant-based meat products.

However, lower prices did not automatically translate into wider adoption. Across all six countries, consumers still bought significantly more plant-based meat than tofu, tempeh and seitan combined, indicating that products designed to replicate the taste, texture and format of conventional meat continued to reach a broader audience.

The UK offered another example of taste and performance shaping purchasing decisions. More expensive plant-based milk products, including oat and barista-style options, performed well in 2025, suggesting that some consumers were willing to pay more for products that better met expectations.

Plant-based milk remained the most developed category in the six markets. It accounted for between 7% and 10% of all milk sold in Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. In Spain, almost half of households purchased plant-based milk in 2025, while 38% of German households did the same.

GFI Europe pointed to taste, functionality, innovation and private-label investment as factors behind the category’s wider adoption. Barista-style products now made up around a fifth of the plant-based milk range in several markets, while retailer investment in private-label lines helped reduce prices and improve access.

Germany stood out on price. Private-label plant-based milk was cheaper than private-label dairy milk, despite being taxed at 19%, compared with 7% for dairy milk. GFI Europe reported that removing that tax disadvantage would make average plant-based milk prices roughly the same as dairy milk.

Plant-based meat showed a more mixed picture. In France, it was the fastest-growing plant-based category, with sales volume rising by 16.8% as prices fell. In Germany and the UK, 31% of households purchased plant-based meat in 2025, while one in five Spanish households did the same.

High prices continued to weigh on performance in some markets. In Spain, plant-based meat sales volume fell by 7% as prices rose, with products costing more than twice as much as conventional meat in 2025. The Netherlands also recorded a decline, driven largely by weaker sales of higher-priced branded products.

In the UK, plant-based meat prices also rose. GFI Europe reported that supermarket sales, excluding discounters, contracted significantly, while separate NIQ data suggested consumers were shifting toward discounter stores.

The findings showed that plant-based foods were gaining ground where products combined stronger taste, functionality and more competitive pricing. They also pointed to continuing challenges for categories where products remained expensive or failed to meet expectations on eating quality.

GFI Europe reported that further investment in research, innovation and manufacturing capacity would be needed to improve taste and texture, scale production and narrow price gaps with animal-based foods.

The organization also cited research suggesting the EU’s plant-based market could be worth €45.5 billion (US$51.9 billion) by 2040 and support 350,000 jobs, while reducing the bloc’s reliance on imports.