More Kiwis want more vegetarian meals in their diet but many don't know how to cook them properly, according to new research.
HelloFresh say the past year has seen an increase in the number of customers opting for vegetarian recipes as part of their weekly meals, with over a quarter (28.1 per cent) choosing at least one vegetarian meal every week – up from 24 per cent in the same time period last year.
That data was in addition to a previous HelloFresh survey conducted in March among more than 1000 New Zealanders, aged 18 or over – which also illustrated the growth, and interest in, eating more vegetables.
Hannah Gilbert, Director of Culinary Innovation and Operations at HelloFresh, says the survey results, while they show growing interest in more vegetable meals, also reveal a lack of knowledge about the best way to do so.
"For me, the most interesting parts of the survey showed the desire to eat more vegetables but a lack of knowledge about how to prepare them," she says.
The data showed that, on average, Kiwis cooked dinner at home five times a week, with 30 per cent saying they cook more vegetarian meals now than in the previous year. In addition, 36 per cent wanted to increase their vegetarian cooking.
"However, many Kiwis don't know how to get more veggie meals into their week," says Gilbert. "The survey showed 35 per cent don't know how to cook vegetarian meals and more than half (53 per cent) have no go-to vegetarian recipes to rely on."
The research also found that 45 per cent of participants believe vegetarian meals are not as tasty, 49 per cent say variety is more of a challenge with veggies only – and 35 per cent say veggie meals are boring.
"These are common misconceptions with vegetarian meals. They are no longer true, with the flavour and complexity of these dishes improving – aligned to the growth of both vegetarianism and flexitarianism (people who have a predominantly vegetable diet but who occasionally eat meat or fish)."
"What was great to see from the research, is that 76 per cent of all meal kit users said that meal kits make it easier for them to eat vegetarian meals, and 67 per cent of HelloFresh customers said it was easier for them to cook vegetarian meals.
"Our culinary team work to create vegetarian recipes which are both flavourful and easy to prepare at home. We want our customers to enjoy both cooking and eating vegetarian recipes; we're glad to see it's having a positive effect on people's eating habits," Gilbert says.
The lack of knowledge on how to prepare interesting and flavourful vegetarian meals was addressed by HelloFresh meal kits like Creamy Coconut Dhal & Chilli Flatbreads - the recipe that well-known actress Kim Crossman and How to Dad whip up in Episode 3 of HelloFresh's How to Dinner video series (see video on this page).
Gilbert says Lentil Shepherd's Pie is another HelloFresh example of creative vegetarian cooking and the survey also identified HelloFresh's most popular vegetarian dish in New Zealand: Cheesy Mexican Bean Enchiladas.
The HelloFresh survey follows a related survey held late last year, looking at the rise of flexitarianism in New Zealand. Held by Colmar Brunton and commissioned by Food Frontier, an Australasian think tank and alternative protein industry advisor, and a vegetarian food manufacturer owned by Sanitarium, it asked 1107 New Zealanders about meat consumption, finding an 18 per cent increase in those whose diets were categorised as flexitarian.
That survey found vegans and vegetarians were most likely to be millennials but Generation X (born between 1965-80) produced the most flexitarians, while baby boomers reduced meat consumption in the last year more than any other generational group.