Preferences for Meat and Meat Alternatives in Different Meal Scenarios: A Dutch Discrete Choice Experiment

Abstract

Understanding meat consumers’ food choice motives is needed to identify accelerating or limiting factors of the diet transition. This study investigated stated preferences for health, environmental, and production-related attributes when selecting meat or alternatives. A discrete choice experiment was conducted among 272 Dutch participants. Participants selected a meat or alternative ingredient for 2 meal scenarios: a Pasta and traditional Dutch potatoes–meat–vegetables (PMV) meal. In each scenario, participants completed 10 choice tasks in which they chose between meat, meat replacer, and legumes. Product attribute levels varied across tasks and included protein content, overall health score, overall environmental impact score, price, local production, and organic production. In both meal scenarios, participants preferred meat over the alternatives (β Pasta −0.51; β PMV −0.44) and legumes (β Pasta −0.91; β PMV −0.99). Across both scenarios, the health score, sustainability score, and price were consistently ranked as the most influential. Preference patterns differed across consumer subgroups. Approximately 30% of participants showed a particularly low willingness to pay for meat replacers and legumes, whereas other subgroups were considerably less negative toward these alternatives. Dutch consumers valued meat over meat replacers and legumes when planning for different meal types, despite ranking health and sustainability scores and price as the most important attributes. These findings confirm that providing health and sustainability information alone is insufficient to encourage a shift toward alternative protein sources and that additional strategies are needed to support dietary transitions.

Understanding meat consumers’ food choice motives is needed to identify accelerating or limiting factors of the diet transition. This study investigated stated preferences for health, environmental, and production-related attributes when selecting meat or alternatives. A discrete choice experiment was conducted among 272 Dutch participants. Participants selected a meat or alternative ingredient for 2 meal scenarios: a Pasta and traditional Dutch potatoes–meat–vegetables (PMV) meal. In each scenario, participants completed 10 choice tasks in which they chose between meat, meat replacer, and legumes. Product attribute levels varied across tasks and included protein content, overall health score, overall environmental impact score, price, local production, and organic production. In both meal scenarios, participants preferred meat over the alternatives (β Pasta −0.51; β PMV −0.44) and legumes (β Pasta −0.91; β PMV −0.99). Across both scenarios, the health score, sustainability score, and price were consistently ranked as the most influential. Preference patterns differed across consumer subgroups. Approximately 30% of participants showed a particularly low willingness to pay for meat replacers and legumes, whereas other subgroups were considerably less negative toward these alternatives. Dutch consumers valued meat over meat replacers and legumes when planning for different meal types, despite ranking health and sustainability scores and price as the most important attributes. These findings confirm that providing health and sustainability information alone is insufficient to encourage a shift toward alternative protein sources and that additional strategies are needed to support dietary transitions.