One quarter of all main meals consumed in the Netherlands in 2023 were vegetarian. Most people choose to eat a vegetarian main meal once or twice a week. A total of 31 percent never eat vegetarian for their main meal, while 3 percent always eat vegetarian.
These are the results of the 2023 National Health Survey/Lifestyle Monitor, which Statistics Netherlands (CBS) conducts in partnership with the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. This was the first time that respondents were asked about their seven weekly main meals.
A total of 5 percent of Dutch people eat no meat at all: 2 percent eat no meat but do eat fish (also known as ‘pescetarians’), 2 percent eat neither meat nor fish (vegetarians) and 0.5 percent eat plant-based foods only (vegans). So the vast majority of Dutch people do eat meat, but by no means every day: 22 percent eat meat, but choose a main meal without meat or fish three or more days a week (those in this group are also known as ‘flexitarians’). A further 43 percent eat a vegetarian main meal once or twice a week.
Climate most frequently mentioned reason for not eating meat or eating less meat
In the Perceptions study, 35 percent of adults aged 18 or over said in 2023 that they had started eating less meat in the past year, either by having meat-free days or by eating smaller portions of meat. The majority, 57 percent, said that their meat consumption had not changed in the previous year. Since 2020, the number of those reducing their meat consumption or avoiding meat altogether has remained virtually unchanged.
In 2023, concern about the climate was the most frequently cited reason for not eating meat or reducing meat consumption. In 2020, the main reason given was health. In 2023, the price of meat was more likely to play a role in this decision than it did in 2020.
Source and more information:
https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/news/2024/10/a-quarter-of-main-meals-eaten-in-the-netherlands-are-vegetarian
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