Meat Substitutes in Sustainability Context: A Content Analysis of Consumer Attitudes

Abstract

Food consumption affects the environment because it requires the usage of water, land, and oil resources. In particular, the consumption of red meat is associated with sustainability issues. Replacing meat with plant-based meat substitutes offers a useful way of reducing the burden that meat consumption places on the environment and dealing with issues regarding animal welfare. However, consumer acceptance of such products is low in some countries. The purpose of this paper is to clarify consumer attitudes toward meat substitutes and discuss them from a marketing perspective. The findings of this study, which are based on content analyses of web forums in Turkey, indicate that negative consumer perceptions can be categorized into three main dimensions: unhealthy, unusual, and tasteless. A marketing perceptive is used to discuss the findings.

The impact of social media visual features on acceptance of meat substitute

“…This is because the plant protein market is expected to grow exponentially (Laxmi, 2020). Yet, barriers have been identified which prevent consumers from buying meat substitutes such as lack of trust, perceived high price (Kerslake et al, 2021), poor sensory qualities (McBey et al, 2019), lack of convenience (Collier et al, 2021), lack of cooking knowledge/experience (Tosun et al, 2021), and lack of cultural acceptance (Cheah et al, 2020).…”

“…This consumer demand drives different brands and companies to incorporate meat substitutes in their product offerings (Keeve, 2021). Yet, many barriers have been identified which prevent consumers from trying meat substitutes such as lack of trust (Kerslake et al, 2021), cooking knowledge/experience (Tosun et al, 2021), and cultural acceptance (i.e., not part of traditional diet) (Cheah et al, 2020). Thus, despite the effort from different brands and companies (Curtain & Grafenauer, 2019), the market shares of such meat substitutes remain low (Gravely & Fraser, 2018; Van Loo et al, 2020).…”

Plant-based meat analogs: A review with reference to formulation and gastrointestinal fate

“…Consumers perceive the meat analogs as unusual and unhealthy products with a bad taste. However, a class of consumers has a positive attitude towards the consumption of meat alternatives because of the good taste and sustainability ( Tosun et al, 2021 ). Hence, it is required to explore the evidence-based functional and health characteristics of these products to enhance the consumers’ confidence regarding the consumption of meat products.…”

Menu Choice and Meat-Eating Habits: Results of a Field Experiment in Two University Canteens

“…With the exception of consumers who have a vegan diet and lifestyle, most consumers do not perceive meat substitutes to be a true alternative to meat [40]. Further, meat substitutes are considered unhealthy, unusual, tasteless [41] and 'disgusting' [42]. This success of vegan dishes was rather unexpected because many recipes were unfamiliar and new for the canteen, and food neophobia is a known phenomenon [43].…”