Many consumers of plant-based meat products are already concerned about the impact our food has on the environment, our health, and animal welfare. A recent explosion of investments in plant-based meats has further piqued interest and attention from researchers, businesses and consumers alike. But is all this money being used to address the most pressing concerns of consumers? In this Disruptive Science episode of our BrainFood podcast, we discuss why consumers are buying plant-based meat in the first place, trends in this specific market, and related research and investment challenges. Finally, we explore how nutrition science and regulation can shape the future and help put healthier plant-based meats on store shelves and dinner tables.

Moderators
Kesso Gabrielle van Zutphen-Küffer, Research and Knowledge Manager, Sight and Life
PhD Candidate, Global Nutrition, Wageningen University & Research
Emily Yao, Undergraduate student of Materials Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University

Speakers
Nick Cooney, Managing Partner, Lever VC
Dr Marleen Onwezen, Theme ambassador & Expertise leader in consumer science, Wageningen University
Dr Hannah Theobald, Head of Nutrition, Quorn Foods

Get insights from the experts in our BrainFood blog: bit.ly/BlogPBMep2

Podcast Timeline

00:00 Introduction

03:19 Question of the Day❓

04:29 Number of the Day

08:35 Markets trends & LMIC

10:05 Plant-based meat denominations and consumer perspectives

13:17 Demand for plant-based meat & alternative protein

15:20 Drivers of consumer behavior and choice

16:47 Marketing tactics

19:25 Pricing of plant-based meats

20:46 How to position nutrition at the center of plant-based foods and consumer choice ?

22:05 Consumer education

23:48 📣Newscast: Is plant-based meat losing its sizzle ?

27:02 Plant-based meat projections in LMIC

28:32 The forgotten mycoprotein

30:36 Dietary patterns and trends of alternative protein

32:41 Collaboration between nutrition and business

38:26 Conclusion