What role will alternative proteins play in the future?

Curious eaters are trying a new generation of alternative protein products for the first time. A panel of consumer trends analysts said how it tastes will determine if shoppers buy it again.

Austin 70x70 Headshot
Will Beyond Meat and other alternative proteins challenge chicken and meat’s place in the market? (Photocritical | Bigstock.com)
Will Beyond Meat and other alternative proteins challenge chicken and meat’s place in the market? (Photocritical | Bigstock.com)

Curious eaters are trying a new generation of alternative protein products for the first time. A panel of consumer trends analysts said how the new products taste will determine if shoppers buy them again.

As part of the 2019 Chicken Marketing Summit, a panel weighed in on the challenges facing the future of the chicken industry. The panelists – Kelly Fechner, director of customer solutions at  Datassential; Meagan Nelson, associate director of fresh growth and strategy at Nielsen and Leah McGrath, corporate dietitian at Ingles Markets Inc. – fielded a number of questions about the growing interest in a so-called flexitarian diet and the rising prominence of new alternative meat products. The panel took place on July 22 in Charleston, South Carolina.

The flexitarian

For whatever reason, a growing segment of shoppers are choosing to eat less meat but not completely stop eating it. Major chicken companies like Tyson Foods Inc. and Perdue Foods are now rolling out products blending chicken meat with vegetables or alternative proteins to cater to this audience. 

The panelists said this is not necessarily a new phenomenon, nor is there likely anyone who will self identify as a flexitarian. What is novel is the delivery of product. New foods made by companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods Inc. mimic the taste and feel of meat better than their predecessors. Moreover, savvy marketing is driving interest in the product.

3 keys to success

The panelists said whether the new generation becomes a staple of the American diet will depend upon the product’s taste, affordability and health.

Taste: According to consumer data from her firm, about 20% of those who sampled it said they “love” the Beyond Burger, Fechner said. By comparison, 60% of consumers say they “love” chicken. The most loved foods, for reference, are burgers and steaks.

Affordability: While much discussion is centered around the tastes of consumers with money to spend, the majority of shoppers want the most value for their dollar and will pick the cheapest, best item available.

McGrath said the alternative burger products made by Beyond and Impossible – which sell in packs of two patties – retail at about $12 per pound of actual product. When informed of that, she said, most consumers find the cost off-putting.

Health: Another fact shoppers dislike, McGrath said, is the number of ingredients included in the alternative burger products. A beef burger contains a single ingredient. An Impossible or Beyond package features a long list. Although alternative and plant-based protein products are riding a positive health perception, the fact is they are more processed than meat and contain less protein.

The current and future market

New and flashy plant-based and alternative proteins may be grabbing attention, but they are not capturing a significant portion of the market just yet.

According to Nielsen research, Nelson said the average consumer only purchases a meat alternative about five times a year. That figure is skewed by the small number of vegetarian consumers who account for about 80% of total spending in the category, too. As far as the burger products, Fechner said her survey data showed only about 10% of diners have ever tried the Beyond Burger.

Consumers may try a Beyond or Impossible burger out of curiously. Whether or not they will purchase it again – knowing it costs more than the competing, conventional burger – will come down to whether consumers love it, Fechner said.

What may well happen is that the market follows the same path as meal kits did earlier in the decade, Nelson said.

Meal kits burst onto the scene and demanded immediate attention from the market and shoppers for years. But, after the initial fervor died down, interest in the product waned to a core group of loyal buyers who value the product’s convenience. With alternative proteins, shoppers may sample it once and then decide they will swap it in once or twice a month.

Page 1 of 1576
Next Page