Americans aren’t as picky about meat alternatives as previously thought – they just want them to cost less. A new study reveals that while consumers overwhelmingly choose beef when prices are equal, they’re surprisingly willing to switch to plant-based options when the price drops significantly below that of meat.
The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, surveyed 2,100 U.S. consumers about their burger preferences. When all options were priced the same, about 75% of respondents chose the beef burger. However, when plant-based alternatives were priced at half the cost of beef, the number of people opting for meat-free choices doubled.
“Only a few people fundamentally oppose eating plant-based meat alternatives,” explains economist Steffen Jahn, interim professor at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, who led the study. The findings challenge a common industry assumption about consumer preferences.
“We did not expect to find that the falafel burger was the most popular meat alternative, while the analogue burger came in last place. This contradicts the widespread assumption that meat substitutes are only competitive if they are as close as possible to the original,” says Jahn.
The study becomes particularly relevant given that the United States maintains one of the world’s highest rates of meat consumption, with Americans consuming approximately 25 kilograms of beef per capita in 2023.
Price sensitivity varied among different demographic groups. Men without college degrees showed the most dramatic shift – when plant-based alternatives were priced at half the cost of meat, nearly 50% would choose them over beef. The research also found that even consumers who had never tried meat alternatives before would consider them if the price was right.
Currently, meat alternatives typically cost about 20% more than beef in the U.S. market. However, the study suggests that achieving price parity alone isn’t enough to drive significant changes in consumer behavior – prices need to be substantially lower to prompt a shift in eating habits.
“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. Maybe it’s because many people associate them with ultra processed foods, which have a bad reputation,” Jahn notes.
The researchers recommend that restaurants and manufacturers offer a diverse range of plant-based options rather than focusing solely on meat-like alternatives. The study found that when multiple plant-based options were available, consumers who began considering one type were more likely to consider others as well.
These findings could have significant implications for environmental sustainability efforts. While global meat consumption shows few signs of declining, the research suggests that making plant-based alternatives more affordable could be a key strategy in reducing meat consumption in affluent nations – a change that scientists agree is crucial for sustainable resource use.