Where Plant-Based Sales Are Growing & Where the Value Chain Needs to Catch Up
Plant-based foods generated $7.9 billion in U.S. retail sales in 2025—more than double the $3.3 billion the category recorded in 2018. Sixty percent of U.S. households purchased plant-based foods last year, and 78% of those households returned for more. These figures reflect consistent, habitual purchasing behavior across a broad cross-section of American consumers.
The newly released 2025 Regional Retail Insights report, produced by the Plant Based Foods Institute (PBFI) in partnership with our sister organization PBFA, adds geographic and category depth to this national picture. The report surfaces findings with direct relevance to stakeholders working to strengthen the agricultural and supply chain infrastructure behind this market.
“Consumers across every region of the U.S. are already voting for plant-based foods with their grocery dollars. American farmers, processors, and manufacturers can—and should—be the ones that supply them,” said Sanah Baig, PBFI Executive Director. “A thriving domestic plant-based sector means better foods for consumers, new markets for farmers, and a more resilient food system for everyone.”
Regional Highlights
The West is the benchmark market: Over 67% households purchased plant-based foods in 2025, and 84% came back for more—the highest household penetration and repeat rate of any region. Western households also spent more on tofu, tempeh, & seitan than households in any other region, accounting for 31% of category dollars and illustrating a growing opportunity for these familiar plant proteins.
The Northeast is deepening loyalty in key categories: Plant-based cheese repeat rates grew 7.6%, and plant-based seafood posted 31% dollar growth—the region’s highest dollar growth category. These trends point brands and retail buyers toward where to concentrate investment.
The South is the industry's largest regional market by volume: Southern households accounted for 36% of all U.S. plant-based food dollars in 2025, including 37 cents of every dollar spent on plant-based milk and nearly 35% of plant-based meat dollars. With a growing focus on plant-based meat and milk in this region, opportunities to develop regional supply chains for these foods are ripe.
The Midwest recorded the fastest household penetration growth of any region in 2025: Household penetration rates in the Midwest showed gains across every tracked category. Nebraska led all states nationally with plant-based dairy household penetration growth of 11.7%. North Dakota followed at 10.2%. The upper Midwest, the same corridor where soybeans, oats, dried peas, chickpeas, and wheat are staple crops, is the fastest-growing plant-based consumer region in the country.
Connecting Agricultural and Market Opportunity
Understanding regional variation in how shoppers engage with plant-based foods reveals promising opportunities for food companies and retailers to lean into sustained consumer interest in expanded choices. Plant-based foods offer variety and versatility to Americans looking for options that meet their nutritional needs and lifestyle preferences alike.
But marketplace opportunity is only part of the story. The same retail demand creates the potential to strengthen regional agricultural support for the crops that make plant-based foods possible. Today, however, U.S. agriculture and U.S. plant-based food producers aren't yet well connected. Much of the ingredient supply for plant-based foods is currently sourced from outside the U.S. This gap represents both a vulnerability for the sector and an opportunity for American agriculture.
The Plant Based Foods Institute began connecting U.S. farmers to the plant-based foods industry through our Sustainable Sourcing Initiative in 2021. Our pilots built direct relationships between U.S. farmers and plant-based food companies. That work confirmed something important: the barriers to scaling plant-based foods are structural, not attitudinal. Farmers want to diversify what they grow. Companies want to source domestically. Consumers want more options. What's missing is the architecture that makes those interests mutually profitable and self-reinforcing.
Building a resilient plant-based food sector that puts more plants on more American plates starts with partnerships that accelerate the pathway from seed to plate. This infrastructure requires capital, coordination, and patience. It also requires market signals and policy conditions that make investment viable. No single actor can close this gap alone, which is precisely why coordination across the value chain matters.
PBFI partners with food companies, agricultural producers, retailers, and policymakers to build this architecture. T
