The future of meat might be here, but are we ready to take a bite?

‘Lab grown meat’ might sound to some like something from a sci-fi movie, but biotechnology-produced meat is our new reality. Innovations like cultivated meat and precision fermentation promise to deliver ethical meat products with less environmental impact – all without compromising taste. The all important question is: will consumers actually eat these foods?

Consumer acceptance cannot be relied on as a given; brands need to earn and cultivate consumers’ acceptance and trust, especially when foods are new and innovative. On behalf of EIT Food’s Consumer Observatory we investigated just that problem.

There are four main factors that consumers take into account when purchasing meat or meat-alternatives: health, sustainability, animal welfare and taste.

Animal welfare

Animal welfare is a critical factor. Consumers are motivated to reduce animal suffering. Actually, people care more about animal suffering than about animal death. Importantly, they are willing to change their habits to this end. The good news for the next generation of meat producers is that consumers do believe biotechnology meat products improve animal welfare compared to traditional meat.

Sustainability

Sustainability is a remote concept for many consumers. Given our long history of farming and slaughtering animals, people are not convinced these practices are unsustainable. Many consumer have no sustainability issues with consuming traditional meat.

Health

Consumers are also divided on the health of animal products. A percentage avoid red meat or are concerned about anti-microbial resistance, but most consumers do not see meat as unhealthy. Contrastingly, consumers are concerned about the health of ultra-processed food. This makes them sceptical about the healthiness of biotechnology- produced meat.

Taste

When it comes to taste, consumers also tend to be suspicion of biotechnology. They see biotech-produced meat as better suited to heavily processed, low quality products than high quality cuts like a steak.

The trendiness of plant-based meat has also contributed to negatively shaping some consumer’s perception of alternative meat products and their taste.

What’s the solution?

To appeal to consumers and earn their trust, biotechnology meat companies will need to present their products carefully. We’ve got three main tips to attract consumers and dispel concerns:

Emphasise the connection between biotech meat and animal welfare. Consumers are motivated to protect animals from suffering. Referring to biotech meat as “clean meat” and traditional meat as “slaughter meat” could help confront consumers with their love for animals.
Remind consumers that fermentation has long been part of our traditional foods. Familiar foods like beer, yoghurt and sourdough bread all rely on fermentation. Precision fermentation just builds on this familiar process, that has simply been improved.
Avoid pursuing premiumisation until consumers are convinced these products are tasty! Now the difference in taste expectation between the cultivated products and the high-end meat products they might replace, may simply be too big.

Discover more through Food Navigator’s original article covering our insights: https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2024/11/12/cultivated-meat-and-precision-fermentation-will-consumers-eat#

Want to read the full research report? Register to receive it here: https://www.eitfood.eu/reports/consumer-perceptions-of-cultivated-meat

We believe that understanding consumers is key to making the food system more sustainable. Successful innovation and impactful communication require a solid foundation of consumer insight.

We are the insights partner of choice for food companies and non-profits that aim to have a positive impact on society and our planet. Together we empower consumers to make food choices that are good for them as well as for the planet.