Scotland's Rural College (SRUC)
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Exploring the acceptance of meat alternatives: A scoping study of UK consumers

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posted on 2024-09-12, 12:52 authored by Toritseju BeghoToritseju Begho

Increased meat production and consumption threaten environmental sustainability and put a strain on natural resources. Other protein sources such as plant-based and cultured meat, edible algae and insects are sustainable alternatives. However, advocating for widespread consumption of meat alternatives is contingent upon consumers acceptance. Previous studies have highlighted knowledge gaps, e.g., on the desired product attributes, motivation or level of acceptability in the UK. Through a scoping survey, this study explores consumers’ acceptance, influencing factors and the options to encourage the consumption of meat alternatives. 1074 meat consumers responded to the survey in June 2024. The main findings are that plant-based meat alternatives are the most accepted and tried. Most people have not tried cultured meat edible insects or algae. There are scepticism regarding the nutritional equivalence of meat alternative. Benefits to one’s health, reducing environmental impact of food and animal welfare are key drivers of consuming meat alternatives. The internet is the main source for information about meat alternatives. People have greater concerns about flavour and price but are open to eating meat alternative in the future.

Funding

This research was funded by Project 8512502: UKRI AgriFood4NetZero Network+ For the scoping study “Harnessing insights from social and behavioural sciences to increase UK consumers’ awareness and acceptance of alternative proteins”.

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