Norwegian consumption of plant-based meat analogues

Abstract

Plant-based meat analogues (PBMA) are expected to reduce environmental, health, and animal welfare challenges from the production and consumption of meat. This paper investigates PBMA consumption using three rounds of a survey. PBMA consumption in Norway increased from 2017 to 2019 but stagnated in 2022. Several food choice motives and socioeconomic factors affected consumption consistently across the survey rounds. Emphasizing the environment, animal welfare, and novelty were positively associated with PBMA consumption, while emphasizing familiarity and Norwegian origin were negatively associated. Younger, higher educated, urban, and vegetarian respondents were more likely to consume PBMA. Use of social media had a positive effect on the consumption for the total sample, but it was not stable across the survey rounds. Producers, marketers, and other policy makers could promote the environmental and animal welfare benefits along with the novelty aspects of PBMA. The use of domestic ingredients could also appeal to older and rural individuals who emphasize food familiarity.