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Consumer research on alternative proteins produces surprising result

A consumer food trends analyst says the alternative proteins movement may have plateaued for now, but it is not going away. 

Jana McGuire with the Center for Food Integrity says their consumer research on alternative proteins has produced a somewhat surprising result.

“You might think that it’s vegetarians and vegans driving the alternative protein movement–but it’s not,” McGuire says. “It’s meat-eaters. It’s people who are just curious and maybe want something a little bit different in their diet.”

But McGuire says real meat has one big advantage over the highly processed, plant-based products.

“It’s important for people in the meat industry and the livestock industry to keep talking about the good things about meat,” she says. “Few ingredients. I mean, what’s in a steak—well, it’s steak. The nutritional profile. Be transparent about where it comes from and how it’s raised.”

McGuire was the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska.