Manufacturing and producing alternative proteins

Innovate on taste

Taste is a primary motivator for consuming plant-based foods—and, simultaneously, the main barrier to consumer adoption.

• Seventy-three percent of consumers agree that plant-based meat should mimic the taste of meat. 
• Forty-seven percent of consumers want more variety in plant-based meats.
• Fifty-one percent of consumers want more variety in protein sources for plant-based meat.

Close the price gap

Across categories, plant-based products are priced at a premium compared to animal-based products. Consumers say price is second only to taste in importance as an attribute when considering purchasing plant-based meat.

• Most consumers said they would pay less or the same for plant-based products compared to animal-based products.
• Only 27 percent said they would consider paying more.

Convenience appeals to all

Increasing access to plant-based food in mainstream grocery stores and restaurants is resulting in adoption from the largest group of consumers — omnivores.

• Seventy-six percent of consumers want to find plant-based meat in the meat aisle and frozen area where they already shop.
• Millennials rank convenience more highly than other groups do, and care about the ease of cooking & preparation.

To increase adoption of plant-based meat, manufacturers should consider:

• Creating delicious products that mimic the sensory qualities of animal products, including texture, smell, and taste.
• Scaling up production and pursuing technical innovation so alternative protein products reach price parity with conventional meat.
• Advocating for their products to be shelved in the meat aisle where most consumers seek out center-of-plate proteins.

For a deeper dive into the consumer insights that inform our recommendations, including product development, choice architecture, and consumer messaging, please check out our report on Strategies to Accelerate Consumer Adoption of Plant-Based Meat and visit our consumer insights.

Our Plant Protein Primer is the go-to resource for understanding different plant-based protein sources. It includes an analysis of 19 plant protein sources with a summary comparing these sources on nutrition, functionality, price, flavor, and sourcing. For a quick glance, download the Plant Protein Landscape summary. 

View our Plant-Based Meat Manufacturing by Extrusion Guide for an overview of plant-based meat processing and directories of ingredients, pilot facilities, co-manufacturers, and related events. 

Join the thousands of people who have signed up for GFI’s massive open online course on the science of plant-based and cultivated meat. The six-session self-paced course covers the biological and chemical processes used to produce plant-based and cultivated meat, the environmental and economic drivers behind these sectors, and the dietary roles of proteins. 

Visit GFI’s in-depth pages on the science of plant-based protein, cultivated meat, and fermentation for a deep dive into these production platforms. 

Our primary consumer research and literature reviews contain insights for labeling and marketing language that appeal to consumers and drive purchase intent:

• Marketing and Promoting Plant-Based Proteins offers insights for retailer promotion as well as labeling of individual products. 
• GFI’s Retail Point-of-Purchase Motivators for Plant-Based Foods study provides effective category descriptors, product attributes, and packaging. 
• Our Strategies for Accelerating Adoption of Plant-Based Meat paper highlights evidence-based best practices for product development and messaging.

A well-crafted product label can promote first-time purchases of plant-based products. Once consumers have tried plant-based products, they’re highly likely to buy them again. 

Evidence-based product labeling recommendations:

• Use “plant-based” or “plant protein” as product descriptors.
• On-product health labels should focus on positive health benefits like “high protein” or “high fiber” instead of restrictive language like “low fat.”
• Develop positive messaging around the taste and sensory properties of plant-based meat. Use indulgent language that emphasizes product taste and the experience and enjoyment of eating. 
• Highlight plant-based meat’s similarity to conventional meat in its ease and quickness of preparation. 
• Message about altruistic benefits sparingly or only alongside appeals to traditional core drivers of food choice – taste, price, convenience, and familiarity.
• Emphasize plant-based meat’s increasing acceptability and prevalence.
• Design message content and framing with omnivores in mind.

For the rationale behind each of these tips, review the Strategies to Accelerate Consumer Adoption of Plant-Based Meat paper.

Here are three key tips for plant-based companies selling into foodservice:

Make foodservice sales sheets easily available on social media and your website. 

Emphasize the versatility of your products and show the applications and dishes they can be used for. Share data on how you can attract new customers, raise check averages, and/or lower costs. Include per-serving costs to make it easy for operators to calculate profitability.

Tasting and testing are believing. 

Do product training and tastings with your distributor sales teams and chefs. Also work with your operator prospects and partners on recipe development. Finally, partner with foodservice management companies and chef training groups like Forward Food to get your products in front of key decision makers.  

Make taste the primary message. 

Always emphasize flavor in your marketing and empower your foodservice partners to keep tastiness top-of-mind by providing image and descriptive assets they can repurpose. 

Key recommendations for effective plant-based product marketing and menu design include:

Lead with flavor.

Use indulgent language to emphasize that your product will offer familiar, craveable experiences consumers want.

Embrace the health benefits of plant-based.

Health is a key driver of interest in plant-based proteins; use health-positive language that highlights benefits, not what’s missing. These messages appeal to the nutritional halo of plant-based foods. 

Position plant-based dishes to succeed with flexitarians.

List plant-based dishes alongside other items rather than in a separate vegan/vegetarian section where they won’t be seen. 

Label dishes as “plant-based” or “plant protein.” 

Favor more inclusive terms like “plant-based” or “plant-protein” over the terms “vegan” or “vegetarian” to appeal to more consumers and increase purchase intent. 

Make plant-based options the default. 

Make protein an optional add-on and include plant-based protein offerings.