Cheon, B. K., Tan, Y. F., & Forde, C. G. (2025). Food essentialism is associated with perceptions of plant-based meat alternatives possessing properties of meat-based products. Food Quality and Preference, 123, 105328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2024.105328
Abstract:
A transition to greater plant-based protein consumption is recognized as a necessity for planetary and human well-being. A critical driver of acceptance of plant-based meat alternatives (PBMAs) is perceived similarity in their sensory and nutritional profiles with conventional animal-based meat. Consumers vary in food essentialism beliefs that categories of foods have innate and immutable ‘essences’ that are responsible for their shared properties. Here, we examined whether food essentialism is associated with perceptions that PBMAs share similar properties as the animal-based products they replicate. Participants (N=298) rated two animal-based food items (beef burger and canned tuna) and two corresponding PBMAs (plant-based burger and tuna) on perceived processing, naturalness, nutritiousness, taste (like beef or fish), typical health benefits, and liking. Participants olding higher (vs. lower) food essentialism beliefs rated PBMAs as less processed, more natural, tasting more like beef (plant-based burger only), possessing greater health benefits of the animal-based products, and as more liked (plant-based tuna only). These relationships between food essentialism and perceived food properties were observed more consistently for PBMAs than their animal-based counterparts. Beliefs that food items from a common category, such as beef, share similar essences and properties may extend to PBMAs despite their nonanimal origins. Given the challenges in developing PBMAs that adequately replicate the taste, texture, and nutritional properties of meat, targeting intuitions that guide perceived similarities of PBMAs and meat, like food essentialism, may be a promising approach for supporting the protein transition.
License type:
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Biomedical Research Council - Food Structure Engineering for Nutrition and Health
Grant Reference no. : H18/01/a0/E11
This research / project is supported by the Dutch Top-Consortium for Knowledge and Innovation Agri & Food (TKI-Agri-food) - Project ‘Restructure’ (TKI 22.150)
Grant Reference no. : TKI 22.150