Exploring the adoption of plant-based meats
Background
We wanted to understand the experiences of consumers buying and using plant-based meats, including their motivations, choice criteria, and barriers that they faced. Plant-based meats aim to replicate the aesthetic and functional qualities of meat-based products such as burgers, sausages, and mince, and are also referred to as meat alternatives, faux meats, or meat substitutes. Market research indicates a growing demand for plant-based meats across the globe and an increasingly competitive market. As plant-based meats are mostly consumed by people who eat meat and they are believed to play a key role in helping consumers transition to low and meat-free diets.
Approach
We adopted a qualitative approach to gain detailed insights into how and why consumers purchased and used plant-based meats. Our participants were aged 18 to 65 and were diverse in their dietary preferences, including vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians, and avid meat eaters. A total of 25 participants participated in 30 to 60-minute in-depth interviews where we discussed their eating habits, cooking behaviour, experiences with plant-based meats, choice criteria, motivations, and barriers. After transcribing the interviews, we used thematic analysis to identify the main themes discussed by participants.
Outcomes
Out of this research, we identified that consumer adoption of plant-based meats hinged on three central elements. These included materials, meanings, and competencies:
Consumers are reliant on material elements to enable the purchase and use of plant-based meats. Consumers found it difficult to access certain brands or products due to inconsistency in distribution through food retailers. Consumers also felt frustrated when many plant-based meats were packaged in plastic, which went against their environmental motivations for reducing their meat consumption in the first place. On the positive side, information infrastructure, such as social media, was viewed as a primary tool in raising awareness and stimulating demand for plant-based products.
Consumers were driven by meanings that motivated them to buy and use plant-based meats. Consumers perceived purchasing these products as a way to enact their values such as concern for the environment, animal welfare, and their health. Consumers considered the use of these products as providing several important benefits, including normalising meat-free eating, reducing the stigma associated with vegan or vegetarian diets, facilitating participation in social settings where food is consumed, offering convenience, and helping people transition to low or meat-free diets.
Consumers need to develop competencies to be able to use plant-based meats and reduce or eliminate meat from their diet. Consumers require both product and nutritional knowledge to make informed purchase decisions and interpret product labels. Consumers considered cooking skills to be among the biggest barriers to meat reduction and considered plant-based meats a less stressful way for them to learn to cook meat-free meals.
Recommendations
We identified four key recommendations for stakeholders such as manufacturers, retailers, policymakers, and social marketers wanting to encourage meat reduction:
Marketing communications, such as such as advertising and packaging, should align with the meanings expressed by consumers. Specifically, environmental, animal welfare, and health values should be leveraged, and messaging align with the concerns expressed by consumers. Communications should also position plant-based meats as convenience products and/or a transitionary tool for consumers early in their meat reduction or elimination journey.
Marketing campaigns should aim to increase the knowledge and skills of consumers, including product preparation, nutritional knowledge, and cooking skills more generally. For example, by integrating in-store demonstrations, community cooking classes, food-based events, or educational content on social media, into the wider marketing strategy.
Retail strategies need to ensure distribution and in-store product placement are consistent across channels to make it easier for consumers to access products. Manufacturers may need to (re)negotiate vendor agreements with food retailers to increase distribution across multiple stores and ensure appropriate merchandising.
Marketing strategy should consider the importance of social norms and relationships among consumers as both a barrier and enabler to purchase. Word-of-mouth, user-generated content, and social media influencers can be utilised to facilitate spreading information about products and how to prepare them. Advertising can frame plant-based products as a tool for facilitating shared consumption between consumers reducing or avoiding meat and their friends and family, such as at barbeques, potlucks, and holidays.
Want to learn more about this study? You can access our published paper in Appetite or contact me to chat about how you can utilise these insights in your marketing strategy or intervention.
