A quarter of all the main meals eaten by Dutch households in 2023 were vegetarian, new data from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) has found.
Most Dutch consumers opted for a vegetarian meal one or two days a week, while 31% ‘never eat’ a vegetarian meal and 3% ‘always eat’ vegetarian.
Statistics Netherlands collaborated with RIVM and the Voedingscentrum on the study, which asked consumers about the seven main meals that they eat each week.
The findings stated that on average, 1.8 out of the seven main meals consumed in a week were vegetarian. Meat was consumed in an average of 4.4 main meals, while fish was consumed at 0.8. Consequently, vegetarian meals accounted for 25% of all main meals consumed in 2023, while meat was included in 63% and fish in 12%.
In addition, 5% of Dutch people abstain from consuming meat entirely, 2% identify as pescatarians, who consume fish but no meat, another 2% are vegetarians who avoid both meat and fish, and 0.5% follow a completely plant-based diet.
The majority of Dutch individuals do consume meat, though not daily – 22% eat meat, but on at least three days a week, they incorporate a main meal without meat or fish into their diet, identifying as flexitarians.
Cutting back
Consumers in the Netherlands are also seeking to eat less meat, according to the data. In 2023, more than a third (35%) of individuals over 18 reported that they had begun consuming less meat in the previous year, either by incorporating meat-free days or by reducing the portion sizes of meat in their diet.
The majority (57%) stated that their meat consumption had remained unchanged during the same period, however.
According to the findings, concern for the climate emerged as the most commonly cited reason for either avoiding meat entirely or consuming limited amounts of it.
The role of education
Education also plays a role in whether a consumer chooses a vegetarian meal – among adults with a university education, 45% either ‘always’ consume a vegetarian main meal or do so ‘at least three times a week’.
For individuals with a higher vocational education, this percentage stands at 32%, whereas for those with a (pre) vocational or senior general secondary education (VWO) background, it is 19%.
