And what if the success of alternative proteins came... through a partial return to meat and milk? Against all the odds, hybrid products, combining animal and plant proteins, are doing very well. Pure plant-based products are stagnating, while plant hybrids are making headway - and redefining the rules of the market. Here's why.
The market shifts: when plant hybridisation performs better than pure plants
Long praised, the 100 % plant offer is going through a period of turbulence. According to FoodNavigator (July 2025), sales of all-vegetable brands fell by 8.3 % between 2022 and 2024. At the same time, hybrid products - such as those combining meat and plants or milk and plant alternatives - grew by +6.8 % over the same period.
Albert Heijn, the leading Dutch retailer, has made no mistake: the brand has launched 15 meat-plant hybrid references (sausages, charcuterie) at the same price as their meat counterparts. The result: growing adoption and a direct response to the expectations of flexitarians. LIDL Netherlands recently followed suit with a hybrid minced beef product: 60 % beef and 40 % vegetable protein.
The same trend can be seen in the dairy segment. According to AFN, the adoption of mixed milk and vegetable products has risen from +4 % in six months in the European Union.
| Category | Evolution 2022-2024 | Source |
| Brands 100 % plants | -8.3 % | FoodNavigator (2025) |
| Hybrid meat products | +6.8 % | FoodNavigator (2025) |
| Hybrid milk products | +4 % (in 6 months) | AFN, via FoodNavigator (2025) |
Flexitarianism, taste, nutrition: the reasons for an unexpected shift
The plant-based 100 %, long held up as a model of dietary virtue, is no longer convincing enough. The reason: a taste experience that is still too far removed from traditional standards, and limited acceptability among the general population. In contrast, hybrid products offer a texture, aromatic richness and nutritional value closer to those of conventional products. The result: tangible, measurable and above all perceptible benefits.
Flexitarianism is becoming the norm. In the year 2025, 50 % of Spanish households consume «plant milk».», against 37 % in Germany and 32 % in the United Kingdom (FoodNavigator). This silent majority favours modulation over exclusion. This is one of the reasons behind the success of plant hybridisation.
The “pure plant” myth: a strategic dead end?
The idea that “the more plant-based, the better” is now being challenged. Not for ethical reasons, but economic and industrial. Hybridization offers productivity gains, greater automation and faster adaptation to formulation constraints. It is also easier to adapt to private label - a key lever for achieving critical volumes at competitive prices.
This strategic realism contrasts with some of the excessive narratives of overly purist brands, which struggle to convince audiences beyond militant niches. It's time for pragmatic transparency “half plant, half animal = 30 % less CO₂, 20 % less saturated fat, same pleasure in the mouth”.”
Admittedly, this overly negative view of purely plant-based alternatives needs to be qualified. Not only are the recipes moving in the right direction, but they are also responding to a real global challenge: make a success of the current nutritional transition to feed 10 billion people by 2050! So it's an almost inevitable step, but it's still a step! And plant hybridisation could help it to happen smoothly.
Why it's not a betrayal, but a transformation
In fact, hybridisation does not negate plant aspirations, but rather recontextualise. Because in reality, less than 10 % of consumers are vegan, while flexitarianism concerns more than half of Europe's population. Betting on hybrid formats means reduce environmental impact while ensuring mass adoption. It means speaking to the silent majority rather than to a vocal minority.
The brands that succeed quickly will not be those that persist in an ideological vision of plants. They will be those that dare to intelligent hybridisation, by combining environmental performance, affordability and organoleptic pleasure.
Tomorrow's leadership is built on today's hybridity.
What's next?
Does your marketing plan include hybrid solutions? If not, it's time to challenge your certainties and explore new R&D partnerships. At Nutrimedia, we can help you make this strategic shift - with method, impact and clarity.
Let's discuss it.
Source
Food Navigator, “Top trends shaping plant-based meat and dairy in 2025”, 1 July 2025 https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2025/07/01/plant-based-trends-2025/