Fifteen percent of Finns say they have changed their food choices after updated national nutrition guidelines, boosting demand for plant-based foods. Ranked 15th globally for healthy eating, Finland continues shifting toward more sustainable and healthier diets.
HELSINKI, Finland (April 15th, 2026) — Finland is seeing a noticeable shift toward plant-based eating as consumers increasingly choose tofu, beans, and lentils following the country’s updated national nutrition guidelines, according to a new industry market report by Plant Based Food Finland.
New sales data covering the Finnish retail market shows tofu sales rising by 12% and canned legumes by 14% in 2025, an unusually strong increase for a traditionally stable category.
The shift coincides with Finland’s revised national nutrition guidelines, published in late 2024, which encourage a more plant-based diet rich in legumes for both health and environmental reasons.
Survey data supports the market shift, suggesting that the recommendations are already influencing consumer behavior. Fifteen percent of Finns say they have changed their food choices because of the new guidelines. There is limited evidence of similar shifts in other European countries following recent dietary guideline updates.
”Seeing such a clear impact in retail is somewhat exceptional, partly because public dietary guidelines are typically designed to influence food services and product development rather than consumer purchasing behavior directly,” said Professor Maijaliisa Erkkola of the University of Helsinki, who led the revision of the national nutrition recommendations. ”The key question now is whether these changes will become permanent.”
The survey suggests that the guidance has been particularly effective among people who had already intended to reduce red meat consumption, helping them turn those intentions into action. Many of these consumers still identify as reducetarians, indicating that plant-based choices are becoming part of everyday eating habits rather than a cultural battleground.
From cold-cuts uproar to a tofu boom
When Finland updated its national nutrition recommendations in late 2024, media attention quickly focused on the advice to reduce processed red meat, including cold cuts. The resulting uproar kept the recommendations in the headlines, increasing public awareness — and eventually leading to empty tofu shelves, an unexpected outcome that again attracted widespread media coverage.
“We’ve been in the business for over three decades, and we have never seen such a sharp upswing in demand,” said Jouko Riihimäki, CEO of Jalofoods. Finland’s leading tofu producer has expanded its production capacity and hired additional staff to respond to growing demand.
Finland already ranks 15th globally for healthy eating, reflecting the country’s strong public health policies.
“What we’re seeing in Finland is a very strong policy-to-market signal,” said Jukka Kajan, Executive Director of Plant Based Food Finland. “The approach is very different from what we’ve seen in the United States, where the recent ‘Make America Healthy Again’ dietary guidelines sparked controversy by effectively turning the traditional food pyramid upside down. The traditional pyramid is based on scientific evidence linking plant-rich diets to lower risks of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. A pyramid standing on its tip with red meat and associated saturated fats given a top position hardly creates a stable foundation for public health policy.”
For additional information:
Jukka Kajan, Executive Director
Plant Based Food Finland / Pro Vege
+358 50 467 4740
jukka.kajan@provege.fi