An omnivore is someone who eats both plant and animal foods, a dietary characteristic of many civilizations around the world. Biologically speaking, humans, like many other animal species, are omnivores.
In recent years, descriptions of dietary preferences have increased or the number of their followers has increased, for example:
What types of vegetarian diets are there?
- Omnivore – someone who eats a variety of meat, fish, plant and dairy products.
- Vegetarian –those who do not eat animal meat proteins
- Vegan– those who do not eat products of animal origin as well as avocados and sometimes honey
- Pescetarian –those who do not eat animal meat but eat seafood
- Flexitarian – a term that gained popularity from around 2010 and describes people who eat a predominantly vegetarian diet but occasionally eat meat or fish
- Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian – technically a vegetarian, but a term that describes someone who does not eat meat or fish, but does eat eggs and dairy products
- Lacto-vegetarian – someone who eats plant-based foods that contain dairy products but no eggs
- Ovo-vegetarian –someone who eats neither meat nor dairy products, but eats eggs
And now a new name is emerging from the plant-based food industry that falls somewhere between omnivore and flexitarian.
According to Indy Kaur, founder of Plantfutures, omnivores make up 36% of the UK population, followed by 34% flexitarians and 30% open omnivores.
What is an open omnivore?
The open omnivore is like a flexitarian, but instead of eating a primarily plant-based diet, he consumes a wide range of foods, including meat, but is willing to resort to plant-based products to reduce his meat consumption.
In fact, the open-minded omnivore is not just a new term in the food industry. However, Kaur and her colleagues are convinced that this type of consumer is the key to growing sales of plant-based foods.
“Open omnivores are meat eaters who are willing to try more plant-based foods while reducing their meat consumption,” she said. “Vegans or flexitarians will cite cost as an excuse (not to buy), but omnivores are more concerned with being full; for these people, the hurdles go far beyond price.”
