Salad days: 3 food trends for 2019 as Canadians eat less meat

Food trends come and go, but On The Coast food columnist Gail Johnson said the increased popularity in plant-based diets is only going to continue.

Vegan options in particular becoming more plentiful and more interesting all the time, Johnson told host Gloria Macarenko.

Johnson outlined three things to watch in 2019 for meat-free — or at least meat-reduced — diets.

Changing diets

Johnson pointed to recent research from Dalhousie University that found 6.4 million Canadians are now restricting meat in their diets to some degree.

That study found that just over half of Canadians were willing to reduce their meat consumption, with one-third willing to do in the ensuing six months.

"The word 'trend' doesn't do this topic justice," Johnson said. "The plant-based diet is so much more than that. It's not even simply a lifestyle: it's a movement."

Another movement growing in popularity is so-called flexitarianism, or reducing meat consumption without giving it up entirely

Pricier veggies

But the growing number of people ditching meat to some degree could have an impact at the grocery cashier.

Canada's Food Price Report 2019 came out recently and its authors are predicting that vegetables will go up in price by four to six per cent this year.

"And, for the very first time in the report's nine-year history, experts are forecasting a decrease in the categories of meat and seafood," Johnson said.

"These prices are in decline as Canadians turn to plant-based proteins."

More plant-based protein

When it comes to plant-based proteins, however, the number of options is rapidly growing.

A&W's pea protein-based patty has been around for some time now and Johnson expects other companies will embrace pea protein as a soy alternative.

She said grocery store Be Fresh Local Market makes a line of burgers with black beans and oats and has also introduced a bacon-flavoured vegan product, appropriately names Fake-o Vegan Bacon.

"It's made with adzuki beans and buckwheat groats," she said.

"It also contains hickory smoke and maple syrup and is said to get really nice and crispy when you fry it."

With files from CBC Radio One's On The Coast