Seitan Prices in the United States from 2020 to 2025

Key Points

• Specific historical seitan price data for 2020–2025 in the US is not readily available online.

• Research suggests wheat prices, a related input, can serve as a proxy; they varied from $5.50 to $9.52 per bushel during 2020–2024.

• The 2025 wheat price (partial year, as of March 13) is $6.68 per bushel, but annual data is incomplete.

• It seems likely that seitan prices follow similar trends to wheat due to shared raw materials, though exact figures are unclear.

Background

Seitan, a plant-based protein made from wheat gluten, is popular among vegetarians and vegans as a meat substitute. Its price is influenced by the cost of wheat and processing, but historical price data for seitan specifically is hard to find. Given this, we can look at wheat prices, which are more widely tracked, to infer potential trends.

Wheat Prices as a Proxy

Wheat prices provide insight into the cost of raw materials for seitan. The evidence leans toward a correlation, as wheat is the primary ingredient for wheat gluten, from which seitan is made. Below are the average annual wheat prices from 2020 to 2024, with 2025 data being partial:

Unexpected Detail

While wheat prices show significant fluctuations (e.g., a peak in 2022 at $9.52 per bushel, likely due to global supply issues like the Russia-Ukraine war), seitan prices might also reflect demand for vegan products, which has grown steadily, potentially offsetting some cost increases.

Survey Note: Detailed Analysis of Seitan Prices in the United States from 2020 to 2025

This section provides a comprehensive examination of the availability and implications of seitan price data in the United States over the specified period, incorporating all relevant findings from the research process. Seitan, a high-protein meat substitute derived from wheat gluten, has gained popularity among plant-based diet adherents, but obtaining historical price data for this niche product proved challenging. Given the lack of direct data, we explored related metrics, particularly wheat prices, to infer potential trends.

Initial Search for Seitan Prices

The initial search focused on finding historical seitan prices in the US from 2020 to 2025. Sources like selinawamucii.com Seitan Prices provided current retail prices (e.g., $7.75 to $11.84 per kilogram as of December 2024), but no historical data was available. Market reports from Future Market Insights and ReAnIn discussed the seitan market's growth, with a 3.5% CAGR from 2020 to 2024 globally, but did not include specific price figures. Retail platforms like Walmart and PlantX listed current seitan product prices, such as $19.95 for a 20 oz bag, but lacked historical trends.

Exploring Related Data: Wheat and Wheat Gluten Prices

Given the absence of direct seitan price data, the research shifted to wheat and wheat gluten, key inputs for seitan production. Wheat prices were more accessible, with historical data found on MacroTrends Historical Wheat Prices. This source provided average annual closing prices in US Dollars per bushel:

Relationship Between Wheat Prices and Seitan Prices

The relationship between wheat prices and seitan prices was explored through additional searches, but no direct studies were found. Given that seitan is made from wheat gluten, which is extracted from wheat, it seems likely that wheat price fluctuations would influence seitan costs. For example, wheat prices peaked in 2022 at $9.5239 per bushel, potentially due to global supply disruptions like the Russia-Ukraine war, as noted in BLS reports (BLS Grain Prices Impact). This could have increased seitan production costs, though demand for vegan products might have mitigated price increases for consumers.

Limitations and Assumptions

The primary limitation was the lack of direct historical seitan price data. Given this gaps, wheat prices were used as a proxy, acknowledging that seitan prices likely include additional processing costs and are influenced by vegan market demand. For instance, vegan food market reports (Grand View Research Vegan Food Market) noted higher production costs for plant-based products, which could affect seitan prices, but no specific historical data was provided.

Conclusion

In summary, specific historical price data for seitan in the US from 2020 to 2025 is not readily available online. However, wheat prices, a related input, provide insight into potential trends. The average annual wheat prices from 2020 to 2024 were $5.4980, $7.0402, $9.5239, $7.2275, and $6.4069 per bushel, respectively, with 2025 data at $6.4864 per bushel as of March 13, 2025 (partial year). Given the current date (March 16, 2025), the 2025 figure is incomplete for annual comparison. Seitan prices are likely correlated with wheat prices due to shared raw materials, but exact figures remain unclear without further data.