Most Americans Eat Meat: Youth Less Likely to Imbibe
Published: Friday, December 05, 2003
Just 2 percent of Americans are non-meat eaters, but people between the ages of 18 and 24 are three times more likely to avoid eating meat and fish, according to a new study by London-based market research company Mintel International Group.
More than a third of study respondents claimed to eat some “vegetarian food” including meat substitute products, according to a Nov. 26 article on at just-food.com. The article did not mention how many people Mintel surveyed for the report.
Notably, senior citizens reported eating more fish and seafood and less red meat and poultry than the rest of the population. And nearly 70 percent of vegetarians surveyed reported exercising regularly vs. 38 percent of non-vegetarians.
Mintel notes that sales of frozen meat substitutes increased nearly 18 percent between 2001 and 2003. Refrigerated milk alternatives, with a 68 percent increase in sales, showed the strongest growth from 2001 to 2003 while shelf-stable milk substitutes posted a 3.3 percent loss.