Enhancing Meat with Plant Proteins: A Sensory Analysis in APAC
Global meat production has nearly doubled over the past three decades. In Asia—the world’s most populous continent—rapid economic growth and rising incomes are projected to increase consumers’ appetite for conventional meat and seafood by an additional 78% by 2050. This growth is fundamentally incompatible with our planetary limits.
Conventional meat production requires up to 100 calories of feed to create just one calorie of beef. Even chicken, the most efficient animal protein, requires feeding nine calories of feed to a bird to get only one calorie back as meat. Such staggering inefficiency accelerates deforestation and water depletion, sets greenhouse gas emissions on a skyrocketing trajectory, and makes it all but impossible to satisfy this increased market demand in a sustainable way.
To meet this moment, many food companies have begun exploring new opportunities to combine conventional animal proteins with significant proportions of high-quality plant proteins, creating healthier and more sustainable options for consumers without compromising on taste—a non-negotiable factor for market success.
Developed in collaboration with NECTAR and A*STAR’s Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), our first of its kind sensory study in Asia spotlights these enhanced meat products* and the strategic opportunity the category presents for the food industry.
*There is no universal consensus on nomenclature to describe products that combine high-quality plant-based proteins with conventional animal protein. Various terms—including “enhanced,” “balanced,” “hybrid,” and “blended”—have been used, but in most cases, companies operating in this category advertise their products, first and foremost, as meat.
What to expect
Distilling insights from blind sensory panels on 20 enhanced meat products across 10 categories, and using plant-based and animal-based product benchmarking, the results of this study provide a unique perspective into:
- Consumer perceptions of the category
- Taste performance
- R&D opportunities
- Go-to-market strategies
Key recommendations and insights
Concept perception
Enhanced meat can appeal to a wider set of consumers, including those who currently show low intent to purchase fully plant-based meat.
Taste performance
Even at this early stage, at least one enhanced meat product has already outperformed 100% conventional animal meat on taste, although most products still require further R&D to unlock their full potential.
R&D opportunities
In order of importance, flavour, appearance, and texture are key areas to improve. Companies should aim to achieve taste parity with conventional meat before investing heavily in product launches.
Go-to-market strategy
Enhanced products should highlight health as a differentiator, position with familiarity, and match conventional counterparts on taste and price.
Hungry for more?
Catch our free webinar
Join us as we share highly anticipated results from Asia’s first sensory study of enhanced meat products. We’ll reveal why food industry stakeholders in APAC—from large producers to local retailers, funders to chefs—must seize this strategic opportunity presented by the category, helping play a meaningful role in accelerating the transition towards a more sustainable, secure, equitable, and delicious food system for all.
Explore messaging guidance from APAC experts
Based on input from more than a dozen industry stakeholders, including startups, food industry consultants, and nonprofit organisations, we have compiled sample answers to frequently asked questions from customers and companies about enhanced meat products. Alongside overarching recommendations for positioning, messaging, and scaling, this guide aims to better equip companies exploring the enhanced meat category for market success.
For further guidance on incorporating plant proteins into conventional meat products, or to share comments and questions, please contact GFI APAC Corporate Engagement experts Jennifer Morton and Divya Gandhi via apac@gfi.org