12.05.2025 -

Check out our latest publication published in Food Quality and Preference

 

Plant-based meat alternatives (PBMA), you might like them or not, significantly help reach greenhouse gas emission targets. But how can the attractiveness of PBMA products be increased for consumers? This question is essential for retailers, manufacturers, and governmental decision-makers.

Examining the UK market for PBMA burger patties, Paul Naughton (Edinburgh Napier University), Joshua Schramm, and Marcel Lichters  have uncovered promising insights. Their study, recently published in Food Quality and Preference, delves into the role of effective front-of-pack labelling strategies, offering a beacon of hope for the future of sustainable food options.

Our findings:

• Consumers can be grouped into 3 distinct segments in terms of preference for front-of-pack labels: (1) nutritious information, (2) ecological information, (3) taste information
• Price plays the most significant role for consumers when deciding between PBMA or meat products; however ...
• Highlighting taste via an accredited taste label can enhance PBMA’s appeal and convince consumers to switch from meat alternatives to PBMA

 

These findings underscore the practical implications of the right labeling strategy in promoting sustainable food consumption. The article also equips you with valuable information on segment profiles in the UK and the potential impact of different labels on willingness to pay.

We would happily evaluate similar questions for retailers or manufacturers operating in other countries. You can find the article for free here. 

Thanks to Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg (Part of the EU Green Alliance) for supporting the open-access publication.