Consumer Preferences of Plant-Based Meat Substitutes in Hungary

Szakály, Zoltán - Szilágyi, Cintia

Keywords: consumer preferences, trends, tendencies, alternative nutrition, Q13

In recent decades, it has become evident that not only malnutrition, but also excessive food consumption can cause damage to the body, most of which can be related to an inappropriate lifestyle. With regard to those two basic pillars constitute the main problem, one is unhealthy eating, and the other is the lack of regular exercise. The main objective of the research is to explore consumer preferences for plant-based meat substitutes. To achieve the objectives of the research, a nationwide representative survey of 500 participants was launched in october 2020. The questionnaire consisted of two main parts. The researchers first asked about the typical diets and then examined the consumer preferences for meat substitutes. According to the results of the research, the leading diet is omnivorous, compared to which the proportion of other alternative forms of nutrition is marginal. It has also been found that moderate meat consumption is increasingly common in omnivores, as well. 35% of respondents have already tried plant-based products. In this case, a higher proportion of younger people and women has been observed, as well as a higher proportion of those with higher education. In this case, too, the degree of perceived health awareness is a strong influencing factor. Key causes of non-consumption include negative taste-related beliefs and attitudes, difficulty in giving up eating meat, and health anomalies associated with plant-based meat substitutes. For producers, this means that they should develop plant-based products that perfectly mimic the usual texture, colour and taste of meat. The more natural the composition of a plant meat analogue is, the greater the chances are of successful market introduction. The most important aspect of product development is therefore the identicality of the two categories, which is a basic condition for substitutability. A further conclusion of the research is that producers can target vegetarians, vegans and flexitarians as well as target groups wishing to consume less meat at the same time.

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