Sattarzadeh, Neda ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6551-5908, Lara, Szymon Wojciech and Tsiami, Amalia ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1122-4814 (2026) The rise of plant-based and cultured meat: consumer perspectives. In: Advances in sustainable meat technology : engineering, quality, and safety. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton. ISBN https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003689560

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Abstract

This chapter examines consumer perspectives and attitudes on plant-based and cultured meat as rapidly emerging innovations within the global protein landscape. In the context of climate change, food insecurity, public health challenges, and ethical concerns, alternative meats are increasingly positioned as responses to the environmental and social limitations of conventional livestock systems. The chapter traces the historical evolution from traditional plant-based protein foods to contemporary meat analogues and cultured meat technologies, highlighting how technological development, regulatory frameworks, and market positioning have shaped consumer perceptions. It explores the principal drivers of consumer interest, including sustainability, health considerations, ethical motivations, and food system resilience, while critically examining persistent barriers to adoption such as perceived unnaturalness, sensory shortcomings, price sensitivity, trust deficits, and sociocultural resistance. Drawing on demographic and psychographic segmentation, the chapter demonstrates how openness to alternative meats varies across population groups, identities, and cultural contexts. Particular attention is given to the roles of social identity, peer influence, marketing, labelling, and sensory experience in shaping consumer acceptance. Emerging trends, including hybrid proteins, personalised nutrition, and increased integration of these technologies to other sectors such as retail and hospitality environments, are discussed in relation to future adoption pathways. The chapter concludes by emphasising the importance of transparent regulation, credible communication, and cultural sensitivity, and outlines implications for policymakers, industry actors, and researchers seeking to align protein innovation with consumer values in the transition towards sustainable and resilient food systems.

Item Type:	Book Chapter or Section
Identifier:	10.1201/9781003689560-36
Keywords:	alternative proteins, plant-based meat, cultured meat, consumer behaviour, social identity, food systems, sustainability, meat analogues
Subjects:	Hospitality and tourism > Culinary arts > Food studies
Date Deposited:	18 Aug 2026
Dates:	Date Publication status April 2026 Accepted 28 September 2026 Published Online
School, department or research centre:	London Geller College of Hospitality and Tourism
Keywords:	alternative proteins, plant-based meat, cultured meat, consumer behaviour, social identity, food systems, sustainability, meat analogues
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/15278

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