Plant-based meats shift marketing focus

As demand for plant-based meats softens, brands are changing the focus of their marketing to highlight the health benefits their products offer. 

Context 

There has been a slew of new entrants to this emerging category in recent years. But they’re now facing a number of problems, including criticisms over taste, and pricing challenges as consumers switch to lower-cost sources of protein to save money in a cost-of-living crisis. 

While these are issues that can be addressed in-house, how consumers view the product has to be tackled externally and there has been a growing perception that plant-based meats are ultra-processed – this at the same time as ultra-processed foods have been linked to serious health issues and diseases.

What can brands do

“As a brand and category, we have significantly more work to do to reach the consumer on the health benefits,” Ethan Brown, founder and chief executive of Beyond Meat, told the Financial Times. 

He also argued that the category needs to “unite around a single and impactful message” that reassures consumers on the ingredients and the manufacturing process. 

Takeaways 

• For many people, having a healthier diet is a primary reason to switch to non-meat sources of protein (75% in a seven-country study undertaken last year by Boston Consulting Group).
• In 2020, 50% of US US consumers thought plant-based meats were healthy; two years later that had dropped to 38% 
• A new Beyond Meat campaign carries the slogan “There’s Goodness Here” and shows farms where the raw materials for its products are grown. 
• Impossible Foods argues its products are a good source of protein, iron and vitamin B; and they don’t contain hormones.

Key quote

“If some folks have a problem with some of the stuff that is in our products, change it. I’d rather not spend ... my money trying to explain an ingredient [that] people question” – Peter McGuinness, chief executive of Impossible Foods.

Sourced from Financial Times