Outlook for the UK plant-based meat market 2024

This article shows results from a qualitative consumer research project undertaken by us about attitudes towards plant-based meat in the UK during November 2023.

These suggest to us that the market for plant-based meat in the UK is unlikely to grow in 2024 and beyond, because there is little shopper interest in it. We believe marketing and new product development are unlikely to generate substantial and sustained shopper demand because the lack of interest is deep rooted.

But we encourage you to read the verbatim answers from participants, to determine whether you reach the same conclusions. And please feel free to get in touch to discuss these results.

Richard Clark, MRQual Consumer Research, Jan 2024

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About the research

We used a “qualitative survey” approach, which ran during November 2023.

This approach involves administering an online questionnaire to a sample of participants, with the questionnaire consisting mainly of open-ended questions, as would be used with traditional qualitative research methods, such as focus groups or depth interviews.

During the interviewing process our software interacts with participants in real-time. This ensures they are engaged throughout the process, and so give relevant and meaningful answers to our open-ended questions, uninfluenced by any other participants.

Who we interviewed

The sample for this study was 50 UK regular grocery shoppers from around the UK. They were evenly split by gender, range of ages and region.

Whilst this number of participants is small in comparison with quantitative surveys, it’s equivalent to 6 focus groups of 8 people, which is substantial for qualitative research. And if you read the answers you can sense that even if we interviewed another 50, 100 or 200 people, we would still get broadly the same results!

What we asked

Firstly, we asked age, gender and region. We then asked the participants to describe, in their own words, three meals they had eaten recently. After this, we asked three questions about plant-based meat, these being:

1. Please could you tell us what you think about plant-based meat.

2. Do you think, in future, you would be likely or unlikely to consider eating plant-based meat, and why?

3. Plant-based meat is said by manufacturers to be better for the environment/ climate than meat from animals. What do you think about this statement?

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Summary of results

The research showed very little UK consumer interest in buying or consuming plant-based meat. Most consumers said they liked eating meat, and did not see a need to eat plant-based meat instead. Some felt that plant-based meat would not be as good for them as meat, some did not expect the taste or texture to be appealing, and others were concerned that plant-based meat is processed.

Whilst a number of participants did believe that plant-based meat was better for the environment than meat (although some of these said this was not of concern/interest to them), most participants did not believe this.

We appreciate that these results are a good deal less positive than other reports about, and forecasts for, the plant-based meat market. Why is this? What is the true outlook?

Well, our sample size in this study was small, but, importantly, we asked participants to tell us their thoughts about plant-based meat in their own words. This is more accurate than asking tick-box or scale questions. Such questions can lead to answers which are misleading because some respondents will just tick answers without thinking.

But we’re an open book. Please do read the verbatim answers below and draw your own conclusions. And do contact us if you would like to discuss the questionnaire that we used. We can even run more interviews for you using this questionnaire, or a revised questionnaire.

You might be interested in a broadly related article we have just published, from another qualitative survey. In it we asked the respondents to tell us, in their own words, what factors were important to them when buying fruit or vegetables. In summary, very few mentioned anything related to the environment or sustainability. It was pretty much all about freshness, shelf life, quality and price. So this would lend weight to the idea that few consumers would be attracted to plant-based meat due to environmental concern. You can read the article here: Is the UK eco-conscious grocery market really growing?

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Verbatim answers

Q1. Please could you tell us what you think about plant-based meat.

Out of the fifty or so participants, there were really only four positive comments, as shown here.

“ i really like the beyond meat burgers and regularly pick those over a meat option when eating at Wetherspoons ” Female, 20 years old, North East England

“ i have tried plant based meatballs and i love them so i think plant based meat can be nice and i am open to trying it in other versions ” Female, 53 years old, North West England

“ I think it has improved a lot in the last ten years and is now quite nice to eat. ” Male, 30 yo, South East England

“ I eat plant based meat but not as regularly as I used to, as since it became fashionable the prices are no better than real meat. ” Female, 34 yo, London

But most participants were just not interested in trying plant-based meat, as illustrated by these answers….

“ I literally never think about plant based meat, it doesn't cross my mind. ” Female, 18 yo, East of England

“ not really a fan of it as i'm a meat eater. ” Female, 30 yo, East Midlands

“ I prefer the real deal when it comes to meat. ” Male, 21 yo, East of England

“ I prefer real meat as plant-based meat is processed. ” Male, 51 yo, London

“ I'd rather just have unprocessed vegetables if I want an alternative to meat. ” Female, 55 yo, East Midlands

“ I feel plant based meat is healthy but I prefer the old fashioned way of meat. ” Male, 25 yo, West Midlands

“ It wouldn't be my first choice. I would only really use it if there was no alternative. ” Female, 31 yo, North West England

“ I like the idea in principle but in reality the texture and taste doesn't appeal to me. ” Male, 60 yo, North West England

“ I'm not sure whether plant-based meat has a good taste. ” Female, 37 yo, Northern Ireland

“ i will eat it but i prefer a meat option if possible. ” Male, 24 yo, North West England

“ not for me. I will be sticking to actual meat while having vegetarian meals also. ” Male, 38 yo, Scotland

“ I don't know what the 'meat' is going to taste like. It's more expensive. The sizes of packs are not big enough. ” Female, 28 yo, South East England

“ I have no interest as I dont think its of any quality in comparison to actual meat. ” Male, 26 yo, East of England

“ I have no opinion of plant based meat because I have never tried it, nor do I intend to. ” Male, 51 yo, East of England

“ i prefer actual meat i've not tried plant based and don't think i will anytime soon. ” Male, 35 yo, North West England

“ bit pointless to eat plant based pretending to be meat. ” Male, 52 yo, South West England

“ I don't often purchase plant based meat, as my partner would not eat it. I myself am impartial and have tried a few times, mostly chicken replacements and Quorn. If I am eating something vegetarian, I will generally prefer to go for vegetables e.g. using oyster mushrooms as a meat substitute rather than plant based meat as I find this more appetising. I also do eat meat, and price wise, plant based is more expensive as it stands, so is not worth it for my budget. ” Female, 27 yo, Yorkshire & The Humber

“ far too processed for me - i don't tend to buy processed food at all as I don't like the taste (any processed food). I like to cook from scratch and rather than plant based meat I would rather NOT have meat and have vegetables and pulses dish- which I regularly have. ” Female, 59 yo, South East England

“ I don't normally have this as I am a meat and fish eater. If you choose to eat it fine and I have tried it and had Quorn etc and it is okay, but it can be quite expensive and I have a varied diet anyway. ” Female, 57 yo, West Midlands

“ As it's a new type of product, I feel like there aren't many great-tasting options readily available. They also tend to be much more expensive. ” Female, 31 yo, East of England

“ Have not tried this so far as I need to eat meat for medical reasons. ” Female, 58 yo, Wales

“ It's not very tasty and I much prefer animal meat products. ” Female, 52 yo, South West England

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Q2 - Do you think in the future you would be likely or unlikely to consider eating plant-based meat? And why is this?

A few of the participants said they might consider eating plant-based meat in future, or at least trying it. These are some examples of what they said. 

“ yes always consider it but wouldn't be an alternative to meat, would be more for a change. ” Male, 24 yo, Wales

“ I would definitely consider it if it provides substantial benefit towards my health. ” Male, 25 yo, West Midlands

“ I would consider it, if it provided a good level of nutrients (especially protein), good flavour, and at a reasonable price point. I would also be much more likely to consider it if there were clear, substantial environmental/ecological benefits. ” Female, 31 yo, East of England

“ I would definitely eat plant based meat. i have had it before and it was good and tasty and i originally got it because my friend came for tea who is a vegetarian but i have since bought it again for myself as i liked it. ” Female, 53 yo, North West England

“ Willing to try anything once need to be more environmentally friendly because conscious of the effect meat has on the environment. ” Female, 58 yo, North East England

“ i would definitely be likely to choose plant based red meat, the fake chicken tastes quite bad to me, i have tried the beyond meat burger patties and really enjoy them. ” Female, 20 yo, North East England

Most participants, however, said they were unlikely to consider eating plant-based meat in future. Their reasons were generally around their perception that it is expensive, they were unsure about the quality/taste of it, or they just did not feel a reason to try it.

“ Not really interested in trying a change of diet because I prefer my current diet. ” Male, 22 yo, East of England

“ Unlikely because I prefer to eat whole foods & am not interested in those that mimic meat. ” Female, 55 yo, East Midlands

“ Unlikely because it depends on the ingredients i like it not to be too processed. ” Female, 53 yo, South West

“ Unlikely because currently I don't really see the need of switching to plant based meat. ” Female, 30 yo, East Midlands

“ Not likely, because it is processed and I believe it's better to eat real meat from animals who have been raised with higher welfare standards. ” Male, 51 yo, London

“ I am unlikely to because I am a fussy eater - I don't trust that i will like the taste of plant based meat. ” Female, 18 yo, East of England

“ Not likely because they tend to be more expensive and not so affordable. ” Female, 34 yo, South East

“ Unlikely because I don’t think they will taste as good as meat. ” Male, 54 yo, Wales

“ Unlikely because I have a feeling that I wouldn't like the taste and texture of plant-based products so that is why I would be unlikely to buy it. Also my family aren't keen to try it. ” Female, 52 yo, North West

“ i don't think i would get the same satisfaction from this because i am a meat eater and i think that this wouldn't taste anything near enough as the real thing. ” Female, 54 yo, East Midlands

“ Nothing in particular, just like to eat meat. because probably would get some nutrients deficiency from not eating meat. ” Male, 32 yo, North West

“ UNLIKELY, I LOVE MY MEAT AND HAVE because TRIED PLANT BASED FOODS BEFORE AND WAS NOT IMPRESSED BY THE TASTE. ” Female, 51 yo, London

“ The reason why is because I enjoy eating meat and a plant based substitute really does not appeal at all. ” Male, 51 yo, East of England

“ UNLIKELY BECAUSE THE TASTE AND THE PRICE THEY ARE NOT NICE SIMPLE AS THAT ” Male, 33 yo, London

“ Unlikely because the products are often too expensive- the only time I have purchased them is when severely discounted. I also dislike the aftertaste of a lot of these, particularly if soy based, and find this off-putting. ” Female, 27 yo, Yorkshire and the Humber

“ because i cannot truly see how, without eating rare plants , supplements or a lot of product that you have a more balanced diet by eating these types of products. ” Male, 38 yo, Scotland

“ because i don't have that much meat, but like to have fresh meat occasionally and would rather have no meat than processed, pretend meat with god knows what added to it ” Female, 59 yo, South East

“ It's unlikely because I tried before, and I didn't like its taste, so I don't think I'll try it again anytime soon. ” Male, 50 yo, London

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Q3. Plant-based meat is said by manufacturers to be better for the environment/ climate than meat from animals. What do you think about this statement?

This is a selection of answers from people who broadly agreed with this statement.

“ I imagine it to be probably true - there would be less impact. ” Female, 31 yo, North West England

“ Overall it is probably better as it takes less resources to product this than real meat. ” Male, 30 yo, South East England

“ i agree, carbon emissions from farming is too high, need to look for alternatives. ” Male, 24 yo, Wales

“ Yes it is better obviously because it does not harm the animals and harm the ecosystem. ” Male, 25 yo, West Midlands

“ Mainly true but soya grown in areas where rainforests are depleted. ” Female, 58 yo, North East England

“ It may be better for the environment but it is not necessarily better for the consumer. ” Male, 51 yo, London

“ I think it probably is true but I can't say I massively care that much. ” Male, 21 yo, East of England

“ It maybe true but I don’t want to change my diet. ” Male, 22 yo, East of England

“ i agree it is better based on the information i have heard and been given. ” Female, 53 yo, North West England

“ i think it is probably true but it is also part of a balanced diet in my opinion. ” Male, 24 yo, North West England

“ I think it is true but I don’t think plant-based meat will taste as nice. ” Male, 54 yo, Wales

“ I do think it's believable and makes sense too. too much meat is bad for the environment. ” Female, 34 yo, South East England

“ It definitely would be better for the environment and we all need to eat more plant based products and reduce our meat consumption. ” Female, 53 yo, South West England

“ Yes plant based food is good environment and prevents lot of health conditions that are caused by meats. ” Male, 38 yo, Scotland

“ i think it definitely is better for both as their will be less farming and animals won’t have to die. ” Female, 20 yo, North East England

“ Yes but animals are there for us to eat and consume. Well that's what i believe in my religion. ” Female, 24 yo, East Midlands

And these are some of the people who disagreed with the statement….

“ It is not true. They have to clear the land of all animal, insect and wild or non wild plant life before growing it which is bad for the environment. ” Female, 55 yo, East of England

“ The idea may be better for the environment but the mass production of these items contributes just as much pollution to the planet as the meat and dairy industry. ” Female, 34 years old, London

“ I am not convinced as plant-based products still have to be grown and then go through the manufacturing process which has an effect on climate change. ” Female, 52 yo, North West England

“ That is probably true to a certain extent although there are plant based ingredients which are bad for the environment such as palm oil and soya. ” Male, 60 yo, North West England

“ I disagree with this statement because the amount of energy needed to import the meat free variants is much more ” Male, 22 yo, Northern Ireland

“ not convinced. I can't imagine the manufacturing process being all that environmentally friendly nor healthy ” Female, 59 yo, South East England

“ I think that it might be just a way to get people to eat it. ” Female, 52 yo, South West England

“ i think that the difference is almost negligible and it don't matter ” Male, 30 yo, Wales

“ I do not agree, it takes huge amounts of land and water to grow much of these products and they are very processed. ” Female, 57 yo, West Midlands

“ It may be true but humans have been eating meat since creation so I don't think it impacts the environment that much ”Female, 32 yo, Yorkshire & the Humber

“ Plant-based meat is still packaged in plastic. Methods of making it might be better, I don't know. ”Female, 28 yo, South East England

“ I think this is disingenuous. Plant-based meats can often have a much higher carbon footprint that sustainable meat. I believe it is a marketing statement. ”Female, 35 yo, South East England

“ It's an absolute lie ”Male, 32 yo, South East England

“ It's just brainwashing people to buy this rubbish. ”Male, 48 yo, South East England

“ I don’t understand this as plants also need extensive farming and soil irrigation. ”Female, 58 yo, Wales

“ I disagree, because the plant based ingredients are also typically grown on farms, where emissions are high. ”Male, 26 yo, South East England

“ not so great for the farming industry and if we stopped eating animals what purpose do cows and sheep serve? ”Male, 52 yo, South West England

“ It would be much more sustainable if producers didn't process whole foods & wrap the end result in plastic ”Female, 55 yo, East Midlands

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Final thoughts

If you found these results interesting, intriguing, mystifying, unbelievable, or anything else,  and would like to discuss them with us, please do get in touch. We always like feedback and are open to suggestions or ideas about our work.

And of course, if you would like to know more about our qualitative survey approach please do not hesitate to contact us. 

Thank you for making it to the end!

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