A new report, commissioned by plant-based food company Oddlygood Group, has found that over half (53%) of consumers who have stopped drinking plant-based drinks in the past year would be likely to return.

'The Plant-Based Glass Ceiling Report,' compiled following a survey of 2,000 consumers, showed that as many as 62% of lapsed consumers still feel positive about the category, suggesting an opportunity for growth.

Oddlygood Group – headquartered in Finland and owner of plant-based brands Oddlygood and Rude Health – commissioned the report to identify growth in a ‘stagnating’ market for plant-based drinks, which has fallen 0.8% value in the past year according to NIQ data. It surveyed three consumer groups: non-users of plant-based drinks, lapsed users, and low users.

The results uncovered a strong opportunity among lapsed users who have stopped drinking plant-based beverages within the last year. This group is predominantly young – 49% are under 35 years old – and over half (58%) said they feel confident in understanding the health benefits of plant-based drinks.

However, clearer and accredited on-pack health information was named as the top factor that would persuade this group to return to the category (28%), suggesting an opportunity to regain their loyalty through meeting these needs. This was followed by improving taste (26%) and price (26%).

Low users showed similar motivations. Clear, accredited health information was named as the top factor that would boost consumption (33%), followed by confidence that the drinks contain natural ingredients (27%).

Among non-users, the top factor that would persuade them to try plant-based drinks was taste (22%) followed by price (19%). These consumers would be most likely to try a coconut drink (13%) over the more popular oat and other variants.

Oddlygood noted that this could represent an untapped entry point into the dairy-free category, with Rude Health already seeing significant growth in this area. Its organic coconut drink is now the brand’s top-selling SKU and number one coconut SKU in the category, according to NIQ.

In yogurt alternatives and desserts, taste and health perceptions are key barriers. Quality emerged as a bigger challenge than with drinks: for lapsed users, it was identified as the single largest barrier.

Over one-fifth (22%) of lapsed users feel they are paying more for an inferior product in this category, while 21% believe plant-based varieties taste artificial and a similar share (22%) believe they are too bland.

These figures suggest that addressing quality perceptions will be key to wining back lapsed users and driving market growth.

Niko Vuorenmaa, CEO of Oddlygood Group, commented on the findings: “One of the biggest growth opportunities for plant-based drinks, ‘gurts’ and desserts lies with the many consumers who don’t yet choose them – and those who have recently lapsed. To unlock this, we need to understand what holds them back and what will inspire them to try again.”

He added: “Real growth won’t come from preaching to the converted, but from engaging the consumers outside the category – this report is about exploring how we as one of Europe’s largest plant-based challengers can do this and how the category needs to evolve”.

Oddlygood acquired Rude Health in October last year, expanding the company’s presence in the UK market.

The Finnish alt-dairy specialist was launched by dairy company Valio in 2018 and became a spin-off in 2021, offering a range of oat, soy and almond drinks as well as alternatives to cheese, yogurts, cooking products and desserts. Following its success in the Nordics, the company launched in the UK in June 2023, which it now sees as a key territory for its brands.