Curiosity A Top Reason For Trying Vegan Meat Alternatives

As the plant-based protein market grows, more consumers are trying meat alternatives. 

The new research reveals that people are most interested in eating plant-based meats because it is something new and they are curious.

The study was conducted last month by the International Food Information Council on 1,000 US adults. 

According to the survey, the main reason why consumers decide to eat plant-based meat substitutes is that they want to try new foods. 41% said they like to try new products. 

30% said they were curious after hearing a lot about them. 27% said they were trying to eat less meat, and 27% thought it was better for the environment. 

Nearly half of respondents said they had tried a plant alternative to meat. 

There are several reasons why consumers enjoyed plant-based meat, but the top three were the taste (53%), meat-like texture (35%), and the fact that it tasted like meat (34%).

Four out of 10 said there was nothing they didn't like about the plant-based alternative, and 31% said they found the texture not similar to animal meat.

Nearly half of the consumers also believe plant-based alternatives are healthier than traditional meat.

Regarding nutrition facts, 45% of respondents believed plant-based alternative protein was healthier than regular meat, and 25% thought the alternative to be unhealthier. 

What about those who haven't tried vegan meat yet?

About a third of them (31%) said they didn't think the meat alternatives would taste good. A fifth had no specific reason, while the long list of ingredients kept 13% from trying them.