Cracking the taste code: Overcoming innovation whitespaces, taste and texture challenges in plant-based meat

Insha Naureen | 14 March 2025

Plant-based meats currently face challenging market conditions. Consumer adoption is weakening, with 46% of US buyers not making repeat purchases claiming “taste dissatisfaction,” Caroline Cotto, director of sensory research initiative Nectar, tells Food Ingredients First.

This weakness isn’t uniform across categories — retail scanner data reveals “particularly poor” performance in plant-based beef products, while plant-based chicken alternatives have demonstrated greater resilience, she adds.

The non-profit initiative conducted a blind sensory analysis of 122 plant-based meat products across 14 product categories plant-based meats, in San Francisco and New York City between November 2024-January 2025. The findings are highlighted in its Taste of the Industry 2025 report — the “largest publicly available dataset” on the taste of plant-based meats.

“The plant-based meat sector has experienced a 20% year-over-year volume decline (GFI, State of the Industry, 2023), with regular company failures highlighting systemic challenges. This downturn follows a period of explosive growth and significant investment, suggesting a market correction as consumers reassess these products,” says Cotto.

“The foodservice sector shows similarly inconsistent results, with quick-service restaurants reporting mixed outcomes from their plant-based meat trials. These weak market signals highlight the critical importance of addressing the taste gap to improve consumer acceptance and drive sustainable growth in the category.” 

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