Slowing demand for meat substitutes is putting a Canadian plant-based brand out of business.
Yves Veggie Cuisine, which is owned by Hain Celestial Group, is shuttering after 40 years as fewer consumers flock to grocery aisles for plant-based meat products.
"This decision was not made lightly," said a spokesperson for Hain in an email on Wednesday.
"The meat-free category has been declining for several years, which led to the business becoming increasingly challenging and difficult to sustain."
Yves Veggie Cuisine is a well-known household brand, offering a range of plant-based meat alternatives meant to imitate ham, turkey and burger patties, among other items.
Hain Celestial Group said it is still making Yves-branded products for now, and consumers will be able to find its products in grocery stores into the early winter of this year.
"We recognize that this announcement may be disappointing to many loyal consumers who have supported Yves over the years," the company said.
While meat alternatives gained popularity a few years ago, Nourish Food Marketing president Jo-Ann McArthur said there's been a shift in consumer preference and taste since then.
"There's this overall trend to healthier, cleaner ingredient lists," she said. "Consumers are going back to the original," which means a shift toward legumes, tofu and tempeh-rich foods.
McArthur added that meat substitutes didn't resonate with many consumers, partially because of their taste and typically higher price point.
"It's sort of a faux product and from the standpoint of taste, it is not a one-for-one substitute," she said.
Vince Sgabellone, food service industry analyst for Circana, agreed that the meat substitute industry saw a surge in innovation and customer attention — but couldn't retain it.
"That growth curve seems to have gone away," he said.
"All of that momentum for the last number of years seems to maybe have peaked."
Sgabellone said the non-meat category was "a pretty big niche," but it was still a niche.
A 2024 report by Circana showed meat alternative sales peaked in the U.S. at $1.3 billion in 2020 and had since declined.
More recently, another Circana dataset showed fresh meat alternatives for the 52 weeks ending May 19 were down 21 per cent from a year ago — the category Yves Veggie Cuisine competes in.
McArthur said the meat-alternative space has also become saturated for a small number of consumers, with larger companies that have deeper wallets competing for their share of the market. Meanwhile, the number of vegans and vegetarians also remained unchanged over the past two decades — ranging between five to seven per cent, according to Circana.
"There was this view that with climate concerns, we'd see more people adopting a vegetarian lifestyle or more of a flexitarian lifestyle, and we're just not seeing that," McArthur said.
McArthur believes plant-based meats weren't really aimed at vegans and vegetarians but at flexitarians who also buy meat alongside the faux options.
"These were the products that you would buy if you had a vegetarian or vegan guest coming over," she said.
Beena Goldenberg, a former chief executive for Hain-Celestial Canada, said the Yves Veggie Cuisine brand played an important role in introducing plant-based eating to a generation of people looking for healthier and sustainable food choices.
"While it’s always difficult to see an iconic Canadian brand come to an end, Yves helped bring meat-free foods into the mainstream," she said in a statement.
"That means Yves’ influence will endure well beyond the brand itself, as the industry continues to evolve and expand."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2025.
Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press
