Zach Soudan is an interaction designer, user researcher, and behavioral analyst who practices between London and New York. Previously a designer at IDEO, he has worked with start-ups, US governmental agencies, and leading Fortune 500 companies to assess, plan, design, and launch innovative products. His recent work looks to utilise non-linear processes within a 360-design approach to address the increasing complexity of social interactions within emerging technologies and the shifting political landscapes in which design operates.

Meat isn’t being ‘canceled’, but it seems that more and more Americans are taking a break from it. Across the age spectrum, people are reducing their intake of animal protein and substituting it with healthy and eco-friendly fare. However, the rising consumption of meat alternatives isn’t down to vegetarians and vegans, but the average omnivore. In 2017, 39% of Americans surveyed by Nielsen said they were actively trying to incorporate more plant-based foods into their diet. 

 That same year, research revealed that 79% of Gen Yers were eating plant-based meat alternatives, with 30% doing so every day. 

The reasons for reducing beef, chicken, and ham in day-to-day dining vary, with some people simply looking to be healthier, while others go about exploring new foods and some seek to gain social kudos from their peers. “Beyond Meat is reporting that grocery store data shows that 95% of the people ordering their products also ordered animal meat,” says Nick Cooney, co-founder of The Good Food Institute. “That's the sort of thing you need to see if you want to take significant market share – that fairly regular consumers, and not just vegetarians, are interested in these products.” 

According to a 2018 Gallup poll, just 5% of Americans are vegetarian and only 3% are vegan. 

 What’s more, an analysis of dietary recall data from 2003 to 2014 revealed that nearly 60% of people who self-identified as vegetarian reported eating meat when they listed everything they consumed during two non-consecutive 24-hour periods. 

 These findings reinforce the fact that the burgeoning plant-based meat market (it’s projected to grow from $4.6 billion in 2018 to $85 billion by 2030) isn’t solely being driven by a small proportion of the population. 

 Rather than having to pick a side, many people are happily alternating between meaty and meat-free meals. But why exactly are plant-based proteins taking off among omnivores?

“Part of the reason plant-based eating is becoming more popular is because it's disidentified with a specific identity,” says Cooney. 

 While the idea of a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle has long held liberal connotations, many meat-free products are being scrubbed of any identity politics and personal beliefs, helping to remove barriers to consumption. The introduction of options such as the Impossible Burger at restaurant chains nationwide is also helping to normalize plant-based meat for the general public. Burger King’s Impossible Whopper and KFC’s vegan chicken offer a (not entirely) meat-free indulgence that’s a far cry from stereotypical vegan food. 

These products tap into a voracious appetite for fast food – between 2013 and 2016, 36% of American adults ate fast food on any given day. 

 A growing number of brands in the fast and casual dining sector are stocking a meat-alternative burger, with the likes of Dunkin’, Subway, and TGI Fridays offering Beyond Meat patties at least 15 of their outlets, with the latter offering it at all locations. 

 Meanwhile, Impossible Foods’ burger is available at 18 popular chains, from Applebee’s to The Cheesecake Factory to Burger King. 

 Persuading Americans to eat meat-free without a significant change in behavior means creating a product that’s essentially indistinguishable from its fleshy competitors and offered alongside them on a menu.

As well as providing a low-key, inoffensive means of broadening variety on menus, meat-free options have the potential to enhance the social cachet of both restaurants and consumers. Indeed, 44% of 18- to 25-year-olds surveyed by Bol Foods in the UK said they thought being vegan was cooler than smoking, and research commissioned by Impossible Foods found that 72% of Gen Y parents are consuming plant-based meat more often than in 2018. 

 Putting alternative protein on the menu means food companies can capitalize on a growing cross-generational desire to eat like their peers. “People have started to eat plant-based foods to be part of a group. They don’t wish to be an outcast, an outsider,” says alternative protein expert Henk Hoogenkamp. 

Plant-based patties are becoming commonplace on restaurant menus

Perhaps more than ever before, people are aware that they are what they eat, and health is emerging as one of the biggest drivers behind America’s taste for plant-based meat. In a 2018 survey that looked at the motivations for consuming meat alternatives, 96% of people chose health as their primary reason, with cost, animal welfare, sustainability, and a desire for variety following closely after. 

 For older generations, especially Boomers, the health benefits of going meat-free are the most pertinent since this generation’s main medical concerns (heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and cancer) have been historically linked to a meat-heavy diet. 

 These worries have trickled down to younger generations, with 79% of Gen Zers saying they’re interested in going meatless at least once or twice a week, mainly due to their preoccupation with health. 

Health may persuade omnivores to buy plant-based meat, but it’s taste that keeps them coming back for more. “Meat lovers don’t love the fact that their meat comes from dead animals. They love it because of the sensory pleasures and the familiarity,” says Pat Brown, the CEO of Impossible Foods.“If we can provide the things they value and make it from plants, not only will meat lovers be willing to buy it, but they will prefer to buy it.” 

 Research conducted by Mindlab in 2018 backs up this notion – 68% of consumers surveyed listed ‘taste’ as the factor most likely to influence their purchase of plant-based meat or dairy products. 

However, there remain concerns about the sensory experience of plant-based meat, with moisture, flavor, and texture among the biggest hurdles in making flexitarians loyal customers. In a MotiveQuest analysis of three million online conversations about plant-based eating, people often commented that textures were too dry or crumbly, rather than juicy and chewy. And although researchers found respondents didn’t expect alt-meat products to be carbon copies of the real deal, they wanted such foods to be delicious and satisfying. 

When Dean Foods bought Silk in 2002, it insisted that the soya-milk brand was placed next to cow’s milk on supermarket shelves. It was a move that sought to shatter the idea that alt milks are a niche product, putting soya-based products in the same arena as dairy. The reality is that most plant-based milks do not need to be refrigerated until after opening, but the merchandising switch could account for the fact that refrigerated plant-based milk now makes up 89% of plant-based milk sales, while shelf-stable varieties make up just 11%. 

The Good Food Institute reports that plant-based milk accounts for 13% of milk sales in the US by value, with 37% of households buying the stuff. 

 In a similar vein to how omnivores routinely switch between regular and alternative meat, an IPSOS poll revealed that 48% of American households had bought cow’s 

 plant-based milk over a six-month period in 2018, with only 5% having bought exclusively plant-based. 

 Having established the template for normalizing plant-based fare, the global dairy-free market is expected to grow sharply between 2018 and 2025, hitting $37.5 billion as the demand for vegan-friendly milk, cheese, and other products climbs. 

Although alt-meat innovators may hope to mirror the success of plant-based milks, whether faux meat should be placed in the same refrigerators as animal flesh is a contentious issue. “Competition over placement is heating up as everyone vies for a spot in the meat case,” says Phil Lempert, an expert on retail food trends. Interviews carried out by Reuters with nine US grocery chains showed that many retailers are still deciding where Beyond Meat best fits within their layouts, meaning it’s stocked in alternative protein, meat, or dairy sections depending on the store. John Beretta, group VP for meat and seafood merchandising at Albertsons Companies Inc., expects the meat case to be reshaped by consumer demand, with some plant-based proteins standing in for meat products. “Plant-based meats have become a segment of their own, and by the end of the year we’ll have a section solely dedicated to these products inside the meat department,” he says. 

The presentation of plant-based meat is central to its success

Meat consumption is not going away in the short- to medium-term future. Hoogenkamp suggests that we’ll instead see a series of partial meat products, one past example being the McDo Burger that was successful at McDonald’s in the Philippines in 1996. Made from 50% beef and 50% soy protein, it was the world’s first hybrid meat product. 

 The ‘Blenditarian movement’ is now in full swing as Perdue launched Chicken Plus in June 2019, offering nuggets made from a mix of chicken meat, The Better Meat Co’s plant-based substitute, and vegetables. 

 Tyson Food, the biggest meat processor in the US, is launching Raised and Rooted, a range of half pea-protein, half Angus beef burgers. 

 Meanwhile, in the UK, craft beer and pub chain 

 is serving a 50% beef, 50% Beyond Meat patty. “The opportunity for plant-based proteins appears more as a complement to animal-based proteins than as a wholesale replacement,” says Billy Roberts, a senior food and drink analyst at Mintel. 

Since plant-based meats are designed from scratch, it’s possible for their creators to continually alter recipes, improving both health and taste credentials – something the meat industry could only dream of. But brands aren’t doing this alone. “After [the first Impossible Burger], we got great feedback from folks at White Castle, chefs and consumers,” explains Dr. David Lipman, chief scientific officer at Impossible Foods. The development team subsequently turned the feedback into quantitative targets to design the second iteration of the burger. The new recipe can go into sauces and on the BBQ, cooking states that, structurally, the original couldn’t survive. 

 Involving people in a product's journey isn’t just beneficial for quality – seeing suggestions feed into innovation also boosts loyalty. According to MakerSights, 75% of consumers would be more likely to buy from a brand if they were asked for feedback on products or ideas, while 66% wish feedback channels with their favorite brands were more common. 

One reason why plant-based meat is making such a splash is that restaurants are expanding the ways in which it’s being presented to consumers. It’s becoming just another option in the fast food landscape. “[Meatless] products spreading beyond 1% market share are, and will be, driven by things like marketing, convenience, and taste, not activism,” says Cooney. 

 However, highlighting a product’s animal-free status may be a mistake. Research from John Hopkins University shows that labeling a product ‘vegan’ can slash sales by up to 70%. 

 Additionally, a study from the World Resources Institute (WRI) suggested that diners are twice as likely to order a meatless dish when presented within the same space as all others. The rule of thumb, then, is to label and market them as just another food choice. “We need new ways to approach consumers about plant-based foods [and] the right phrasing can make a world of difference,” explains Daniel Vennard, head of the WRI’s Better Buying Lab. 

 Much like what the word ‘craft’ has done for the beer industry, equating ‘plant-based’ with quality rather than difference could be key to attracting a flexitarian audience.

Henk Hoogenkamp is a world-renowned protein technology expert, trusted advisor for food companies and academies, and a contributor to leading food journals. He helps companies across a wide spectrum develop new, exciting, and sustainable protein sources to meet business and consumer needs. He is also the author of the 2018 book ‘Protein Transition: Technological, Economic & Societal Impact of Global Protein Sustainability’.

Nick Cooney is a Managing Partner at Lever VC, an investment fund focused on alternative protein companies. He co-founded The Good Food Institute and was the co-founder and managing trustee of New Crop Capital.He is the author of three books: ’Change of Heart’, ’Veganomics’, and ‘How To Be Great At Doing Good’.

North America

United States

Eating and Drinking

Coffee and soft drinks

General food

Snacks and desserts

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The proliferation of plant-based meat products at restaurants and grocery stores across the US has expanded the dining options available to vegans and vegetarians – but their appeal is not limited to those following niche diets. What’s driving more and more omnivores to gorge on meat alternatives?

Are Americans developing a taste for ‘plant-based meat’?

Vegan company Beyond Meat faced with name change

White Castle offers vegan 'meat' as ethical alternative

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