Consumers more likely to choose meat alternatives if they are significantly cheaper than meat, study finds

A new study suggests that price is the most significant factor influencing consumer choices between meat and plant-based alternatives. Conducted by marketing researchers from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), Humboldt University Berlin, and Georg August University Göttingen, the survey of 2,100 U.S. consumers found that plant-based meat alternatives gain traction when priced well below conventional meat. However, when costs are similar, most consumers still prefer the animal-based option.

The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), challenges the common belief that similarity to meat is the key driver for plant-based adoption. Instead, affordability plays a larger role.

The research tested consumer preferences by presenting four burger options: a conventional beef burger, a plant-based meat analogue, a vegetarian semi-analogue burger that mimicked meat’s appearance but not its taste or texture, and a falafel burger. While the beef burger remained the dominant choice, the falafel burger surprisingly outperformed the analogue burger. This suggests that consumers may not see direct meat analogues as necessary for switching to plant-based options.

When testing price sensitivity, the study found that price parity between meat and plant-based products had little effect on consumer decisions. However, when the price of meat alternatives dropped significantly below conventional meat, adoption rates increased. A 10% price reduction for the plant-based analogue burger resulted in a 14% increase in expected sales, while halving the price of meat substitutes doubled the likelihood of consumers opting for them.

Interestingly, the study found that men—who traditionally consume more meat—were more likely than women to switch to plant-based alternatives when prices were favorable. Even those who had never tried a plant-based burger before were willing to consider it if the price gap was significant.

These findings suggest that food manufacturers and restaurants looking to increase the uptake of plant-based alternatives should focus on pricing strategies rather than solely on improving meat-like qualities. The perception of plant-based options as ultra-processed foods could also play a role in consumer hesitancy, further supporting the idea that a wider variety of non-meat options—including those that do not attempt to closely mimic meat—may be more effective in attracting different consumer groups.

"Restaurants and food manufacturers might actually be able to increase their sales of vegetarian or vegan alternatives if they offered meat substitutes at lower prices than the meat options. A truly faithful imitation is not the goal here, our study suggests," said Steffen Jahn, Interim Professor at the Chair of Marketing & Innovation at MLU.

These insights could shape pricing strategies across the alternative protein industry, reinforcing the need for cost-competitive solutions to drive wider adoption.