Welfare, not sustainability, drives meat alternative interest

German consumers that purchase plant-based proteins are more likely to have concerns about animal welfare or health than the environment.

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(Impossible Foods)
(Impossible Foods)

German consumers that purchase plant-based proteins are more likely to have concerns about animal welfare or health than the environment, revealed a new study published in the journal Food Quality and Preference.

“Despite the observed positive trend in consumers’ demand for meat alternatives… the overall market shares remain low,” said Jeanette Klink-Lehmann, who is doing her doctorate at the Institute of Food and Resource Economics at the University of Bonn in the department of Prof. Dr. Monika Hartmann.

“We aimed to identify the relevance of environmental, health and animal welfare concerns on consumers’ intention to eat meat alternatives.”

More than 400 people between the ages of 17 and 86 took part in the survey. Participants were asked about their attitudes regarding health, sustainability and husbandry, as well as their intentions on plant-based protein consumption.

Sustainability rates lower than expected

The researchers expected that sustainability concerns would be an important factor in meat alternative purchases, but unexpectedly that was not the case.

“Our findings suggest that health concerns are a key driver for consumer's intention to eat meat alternatives. Concerns for animal welfare on the other hand impacts the attitude towards these products, which in turn is another important driver for the consumption of meat alternatives,” Klink-Lehmann explained.

The survey was conducted in 2017, which could explain some of the discrepancy between the expected results and what occurred.

“Currently, our research group is further investigating consumers meat and meat-alternatives purchase behavior in a virtual supermarket setting,” she added, noting that they're planning to "test the effect of different marketing strategies on the selection of animal-welfare labelled products and meat-alternatives in contrast to conventional meat products.”

Lessons for the poultry industry

The survey highlights the importance of animal welfare for traditional proteins, like the poultry industry, looking to maintain market share.

“Consumers are getting more and more critical towards current animal husbandry systems. At the same time there is a growing market for meat alternatives,” Klink-Lehmann said.

“In order to keep their license to operate the poultry industry should address and communicate actions towards increasing animal welfare.”

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