He price It is the factor more influential in the choice of consumers between meat and Vegetable alternatives (PBMA). This is stated by a recent investigation carried out by scientists from the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, the Humboldt University of Berlin and the Georg August of Göttingen University and published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. To do this, they conducted two studies with more than 2,100 participants in the United States To analyze how people perceive and choose different types of hamburgers according to their price and characteristics.
Meat or plant alternatives? It depends on the price
The first experiment showed that, under conditions of standard pricethree out of four people They chose The hamburger of meatwhile the alternative of Falafel, which does not imitate the taste or texture of the flesh, was the second most popular. The hamburgers designed to resemble meat, such as analogous and semi -dialing versions, They obtained less acceptance of the expectedwhich contradicts the belief that consumers will only adopt PBMA if they are as similar as possible to meat.
In the second experiment, the researchers analyzed how Price differences influenced In purchase decisions. It was discovered that lowering the price of an analogous vegetable hamburger by 10% increased its demand by 14%. If the vegetable alternatives cost half of what the meat costs, the number of people who would choose them would double. On the contrary, a reduction in the price of meat did not have a significant impact on consumer preference.
Differences between gender and education in the choice of PBMA
The study also found Behavior differences according to gender and educational level. Men, although they are the greatest consumers of meat, were more likely than women to change their choice for a PBMA if it was cheaper. People with university education also showed a greater disposition to consider plant alternatives, while consumers who had never tried PBMA were the most reluctant to choose them, although their acceptance increased if the price was attractive.
In addition, the data suggests that consumers who choose a PBMA are usually willing to try others. This complementarity relationship indicates that expanding the variety of products could promote greater market acceptance. However, researchers warn that not all PBMAs can grow at the same rate; In some cases, the increase in the supply of a PBMA category could move the demand for another, instead of reducing meat consumption.
Is the price the only barrier? Comparison with other studies
Although this study shows that affordability is key to increasing PBMA demand, previous research has identified other factors that influence their acceptance. According to a report of the Smart Protein project, which surveyed 7,500 people in 10 European countries, the three main barriers to adopt plants -based products are the price (38%), the flavor (30%) and the disinformation (25%). In addition, this report indicates that 47% of consumers reduce meat consumption for health reasons, followed by Environmental concerns (29%) and animal welfare (26%).
In Spain, a study by Heura Foods revealed that 85.6% of respondents would be willing to consume vegetable meat if they had a high nutritional value, a taste similar to that of animal meat and a lower environmental impact. However, doubts persist about their nutritional value and environmental impact, as well as its flavor and texture.
Towards a future with less meat?
The study shows that, although the demand for meat is still dominant, there are conditions in which consumers are willing to change their habits. The key to the massive adoption of PBMA is not only to replicate the taste and texture of the meat, but to make these alternatives more affordable and attractive from an economic point of view.
In fact, some countries are already exploring political measures to encourage PBMA consumption, such as the possibility of imposing taxes on meat or subsidizing plant alternatives. However, researchers warn that price parity alone will not be enough to significantly change consumption habits; Vegetable alternatives must be clearly cheaper to catalyze a behavior change. For this, a combination of commercial strategies, technological innovation and possible government interventions will be fundamental.
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