In 2020, the market for plant-based meat - or meat substitutes - was valued at 6 billion euros. By 2025, it should reach 22 billion euros, almost four times as much, according to a report by Statista.1. Increasingly popular, these products are part of a move towards a more environmentally-friendly food transition. In France alone, nearly 27% of consumers opt for a plant-based alternative to meat at least once a month.2 and 22% of French people have changed their eating habits to include more plant-based proteins3.
Nevertheless, between debates over its name and objections from certain consumers, plant-based meat is not yet unanimously accepted. But is this alternative to animal products really a sustainable solution for the future?
An appellation that's (still) causing a stir
Beyond the many objections to it, it's in its very name that plant-based meat has run into trouble. In France, in particular, the government wants to ban the use of butchery-related terms to designate plant-based alternatives. A first attempt at a ban was made in 2022, following numerous protests from meat and livestock interprofessional associations.4. However, the Conseil d'Etat offered a reprieve to butchery terms for meat substitutes. A year later, the government seemed to be unanimous on the issue, and launched a new decree to ban designations linked to products derived from animal proteins. This new text includes 21 terms "whose use is prohibited for the designation of foodstuffs containing plant proteins". In a recent article5Le Monde explains: "While the veto of the terms 'paleron', 'tendron', 'skirt steak' or 'bavette' (flank steak) is unlikely to disrupt the simili meat sector, the veto of the terms 'steak', 'ham' or 'escalope' is more likely to have serious consequences. According to the government, these designations could confuse consumers and mislead them about the product they are buying. For their part, MEPs are less concerned about meat substitutes than about alternatives to dairy products.6. In France, as in our European neighbors, the rise of alternatives to animal products raises a number of issues.
The desire for more sustainable food
The main aim of meat substitutes is to encourage consumers to eat more sustainably. The consumption of animal products has a considerable impact on the environment. In July 2023, British scientists concluded that a meat consumer generates around 10.24 kg of greenhouse gases every day, compared with 2.47 kg for a vegan. Similarly, food production accounts for an average of 35% of greenhouse gas emissions each year.7. On the contrary, a recent study by Nature Communications estimates that if the world's population replaced 50% of its meat consumption with plant-based alternatives, food production would generate 31% fewer emissions by 2050.8. " We observe a substantial reduction in global environmental impacts by 2050, if 50% of the main animal products (pork, chicken, beef and milk) are substituted ", conclude the experts. Similarly, research by the Good Food Institute shows that plant-based meat requires 47-99% less agricultural land than conventional meat. Animal agriculture, on the other hand, occupies more than 75% of the world's farmland, yet supplies only 17% of the world's food.9. Finally, a study by the University of Bath shows that plant-based alternatives also offer numerous health benefits for consumers10unlike traditional meat. "In terms of health, [meat substitutes] offer a number of benefits, including generally favorable nutritional profiles, assistance with weight loss and muscle synthesis, and management of specific health conditions."
Inevitable pitfalls in a booming market
Despite its many advantages, plant-based meat presents a number of pitfalls for consumers. One of the main ones is, unfortunately, its price. A recent Good Food Institute report estimated that, on average worldwide, meat substitutes cost twice as much as beef, four times as much as chicken and three times as much as pork.11. In 2023, the sharp rise in the price of traditional meat will narrow the gap between its cost and that of its vegetable counterpart, particularly in Europe.12. However, general inflation is preventing many consumers from turning to plant-based alternatives.
On the other hand, while many health benefits have been observed thanks to plant-based meat, this is unfortunately not the case for all products of this type. In fact, a study by the Institut Technologique Alimentaire13 and an article by Harvard University14 highlight the fact that most meat substitutes are "ultra-processed" foods. In fact, their composition is sometimes less beneficial to health than traditional meat. Frank Hu, Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Harvard University, points out that "some of these products, while containing high amounts of vegetable protein, may also contain unhealthy ingredients, such as high levels of sodium or saturated fat".
Similarly, Marion Nestle - Professor of Nutrition and Food at New York University - explained in a Washington Post article that meat substitutes represent a psychological problem for consumers.15. Consumers are accustomed to identifying "healthy" and "unhealthy" foods when they go shopping, and may consider plant-based meat as belonging to the former category. However, the long list of ingredients in these products and their composition should put them in the second category. Far from the terminological concerns of certain governments, one of the pitfalls of meat substitutes lies rather in their composition.
Conclusion
Despite its many benefits for the environment, plant-based meat has a number of drawbacks for consumers. Between a price that is sometimes too high and a composition that is not always optimal for health. Nevertheless, several companies have recently lowered their cost of sale12 - and others, like La Vie, are prioritizing a simpler, more natural composition16.
This booming market promises an increasingly attractive offering for consumers, which will ultimately lead them towards a more sustainable diet.
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