The food industry can best appeal to consumers by picking the right way to label plant-based products, according to new research.
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The food industry can best appeal to consumers by picking the right way to label plant-based products, according to new research.
Two new reports published by global food awareness organisation, ProVeg International, provide insights into the most effective ways to do this.
The reports, which both looked at how different food labels affect consumer perception of a product, are based on consumer surveys.
They found that the term ‘plant-based’ is more appealing for most people than the terms ‘meatless’ and ‘vegan’.
Furthermore, consumers were most likely to choose a plant-based product with the label ‘100% plant-based’ or ‘veggie’, as well as ‘plant-based’.
Confused by plant-based products?
The research also looked into whether consumers are confused by plant-based products that mimic meat, and have meaty names – for example, ‘nuggets’.
According to ProVeg, only 3.6 per cent of respondents said they had previously chosen a plant-based product referring to ‘nuggets’ by accident, while 96.4 per cent agreed that they had chosen the product consciously.
Meanwhile, over 80 per cent of those polled said it is obvious that products labelled as ‘vegan’, ‘vegetarian’ and ‘plant-based’ do not contain meat.
Furthermore, 76 per cent stated that such labels helped them to understand and identify the nature of the product.
ProVeg described it as ‘great to see’ that consumers are not confused by ‘meaty terms’ , and added that they hope these results ‘will contribute towards creating a favourable regulatory and labelling landscape for plant-based products’.
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The study found that consumers were most likely to choose a plant-based product with the label ‘100% plant-based’ or ‘veggie’, rather than those labelled as 'vegan' or 'meatless'. Image credit: jax10289 via Getty Images
How to label plant-based food
Stephanie Jaczniakowska-McGirr, Director of Corporate Engagement at ProVeg, said: “It’s really interesting to see that consumers prefer ‘plant-based’ labels to ‘meat-free’ or ‘vegan’ terminology.
“These results echo many brands current labelling strategies, with the use of ‘plant-based’ labels becoming very common, particularly in the UK, where this survey was conducted.”
She continued: “With the plant-based food industry experiencing huge growth, there are now many products on the shelves to meet consumer demands.
“But this means that targeting consumers with the right labelling has become more important than ever,”
“These reports provide companies with insights that will help them more precisely hone in on their customer base with the right words for the right products.”
Speaking about the value of the reports, she added: “Such research is critical to help brands effectively target the growing number of flexitarian consumers and understand the best terminology to use on their products to ensure consumers know exactly what they are purchasing.”
Confused around the descriptions on products? Why not check out our vegan’s guide to reading food labels
Source: Vegconomist. Featured image credit: Chaay Tee via Getty Images
