Kerslake, Kemper, and Conroy (2022) on Meat Substitutes

Eleanor Kerslake, Joya A. Kemper, Denise Conroy, “What’s Your Beef with Meat Substitutes? Exploring Barriers and Facilitators for Meat Substitutes in Omnivores, Vegetarians, and Vegans.” Appetite 170: 105864, 2022.

• Meat substitutes are plant-based foods like Impossible Burgers or Beyond Sausages, which are intended to replicate some of the sensory characteristics of meat; chickpeas and tofu and seitan, by these lights, are not meat substitutes.

• For many people, meat is a search good, while meat substitutes are of recent vintage and are experience goods.

• The authors bring together 6 moderated focus groups, with between 5 to 7 members each. Two of the groups are comprised of omnivores; two of vegetarians; and two of vegans. All told, 35 New Zealanders take part, and together produce 346 pages of transcribed discussions. [But the small numbers in each focus group mean that a "finding" could be based on the comments of just two or three people.]

• Factors that facilitate the take-up of meat alternatives, according to the focus groups, include good packaging and labelling. A photo of the product is helpful, and, for vegans, explicit vegan and environmental certifications. 

• Meat substitutes are often tried out in restaurant or takeaway settings. Later, they might be purchased for home preparation and consumption. The restaurant test provides an endorsement, and perhaps then evidence that, at least with proper preparation, the unfamiliar item is palatable. 

• Barriers to take-up of meat substitutes include high prices: the “vegan tax.”

• The only partial resemblance to meat elicits, in some consumers, feelings of distrust towards meat substitutes.

• Some vegetarians and vegans are unimpressed when companies that produce lots of meat products expand into plant-based options: they view this behavior as “vegan washing.”

• “Tensions” are ambiguous properties of meat substitutes, which can facilitate for some consumers but pose a barrier to others. In this article, tensions far outnumber facilitators and barriers.

• The common view that vegans or vegetarians are judgmental can dissuade some omnivores from wanting to consume meat substitutes.

• The availability of meat substitutes at social events enhances inclusivity.

• Plant-based meats can be too meat-like for vegans, but too unlike meat for omnivores.

• Meat substitutes are sometimes seen as healthy, and sometimes as unhealthy.