Purdue University College of Agriculture recently conducted surveys to determine consumer preferences for real beef compared to plant-based and cell-cultured alternatives. Considering organoleptic attributes, including appearance, freshness, naturalness, price and farmer well-being, consumers rated natural beef as superior to alternatives. Of those surveyed, 71 percent rated beef as ‘much better’ or ‘somewhat better’ compared to plant-based alternatives. Similarly 73 percent considered beef from cattle as more preferable to cell-cultured product.
Simple surveys frequently provide unreliable results. To gauge consumer sentiment, it is necessary to conduct a conjoint analysis, allowing responders to select from among alternatives with tangible attributes including price, quality and non-quantifiable aspects including welfare. Tradeoffs motivating purchase would provide a more realistic measure of acceptability among alternatives to traditionally grown and processed meat.