Belgians are becoming more conscious about eating meat. They alternate a meal with meat more often with poultry, fish and vegetarian meals. Nevertheless, meat continues to occupy an important place in the dietary pattern of our southern neighbours.
Belgians are alternating meat with poultry, fish and vegetarian more often and are eating out more. However, they continue to enjoy a piece of meat regularly because of its taste, eating habits and nutritional value. Home consumption of fresh meat fell from 18.2 kg to 17.5 kg per person last year.
Fresh meat accounts for more than half of the home consumption volume (54 per cent) within the meat, poultry, fish, meat substitutes segment. Poultry and game account for a third of home consumption (30 per cent), fish stood at a 15 per cent share last year and meat substitutes take up just 1 per cent.
This home consumption covers three quarters of the total consumption of fresh meat. Pork and combined meat products were eaten more than beef and veal.
Origin becomes increasingly important
The importance of origin in choosing meat continues to rise: in 2017, more than half of Belgians (54 per cent) said that origin has some influence on their meat purchases. The vast majority (96 per cent) say they prefer home-grown meat.
A more expensive meat product such as the steak or tournedos has not decreased in volume in recent years. This means that Belgian consumers are opting for less but increasingly high-quality meat, also a signal that Belgians are becoming more meat-conscious. This emerges from research carried out by GfK Belgium and iVox on behalf of VLAM ( Flemish Centre for Agro and Fisheries Marketing).
Almost all Belgian families buy meat on an annual basis. However, an average family bought meat significantly less often than ten years ago. In 2008, an average Belgian family bought meat 63 times, in 2017 it was still 52 times. This is partly because consumers shop less often but then buy more per shop visit.
Furthermore, the total volume of meat purchased (poultry, game and frozen meat, but excluding processed meats) also decreased: in 2008, home consumption was 34.9 kg per person, in 2016 it reached 28.6 kg and last year it was 28.1 kg per person.
Home consumption of poultry remained roughly the same over the last decade at 10 kg per person. The decline thus comes mainly from fresh meat, which fell from 23.7 kg in 2008 to 17.5 kg per person.
Meat holds its place in eating habits
The decline in home consumption of meat is partly because Belgians have again started to eat more outside the home and alternate meat more often with poultry, fish or vegetarian. Thus, in the meat, poultry,fish and meat substitutes segment, meat still continues to occupy 54 per cent of home consumption volume. Poultry and game account for 30 per cent, fish reached a 15 per cent share in 2017 and meat substitutes 1 per cent.
Taste, habit and nutritional value prevail
The Belgian often puts meat on his plate because of its taste: meat is tasty and he therefore likes to eat it often. Meat is strongly part of the Belgian food culture: Belgians are brought up with a piece of meat and continue this in later eating habits.
At a meal without meat, the Belgian meat eater soon feels that the balance is lost on his plate. After all, he finds meat nutritious, energy-rich and satiating, meat is easy to buy and prepare and he can vary widely within the range so that he can eat it almost every day without his diet becoming monotonous.
