Plant-Based Food Labels That Highlight Protein Could Increase Uptake By Over 100%, Says Study

A new study’s “promising results” indicate that emphasizing protein on plant-based food labels is the most effective way of improving consumer uptake.

While animal welfare and the environment are popular reasons to go vegan, consumer-friendly information such as protein content is often the best way to encourage shoppers to try plant-based products over meat and dairy. The new study found that adjusting the labels improved uptake by more than 100 percent.

The University of Cambridge researchers behind the study introduced and tested the “nudge by proxy” approach, which indirectly encouraged consumers to choose foods that were better for the planet by addressing their “internal motivations.”

Instead of emphasizing the many other health, environmental, and ethical benefits of choosing plant-based options, the researchers instead focused on what consumers themselves said they wanted: clear information about protein content.

The researchers first surveyed 1,500 UK students and identified protein as the most significant perceived barrier to a meat-free diet. Then, over the course of two experiments, they confirmed that foods with protein content labels increased people’s selection of plant-based options by more than 100 percent.

The researchers noted that carbon footprint labeling, in particular, is a form of messaging that may be “more meaningful” to producers rather than consumers. Overall, health is often the most-cited reason that people cut back on meat.

Consumer choices and the path to reducing global meat consumption

Photo shows a woman's hand as a she holds up her smartphone and shops for food in the supermarket — Adobe Stock Both online and in shops, “nudging” customers via labels is an effective way to encourage meat reduction

Last year, research found that labeling is a particularly effective form of “digital nudging,” which can also encourage online shoppers to choose plant-based options.

“The path to reducing global meat consumption is paved with consumer choices,” wrote the University of Cambridge researchers. “The most effective way to influence these choices is not necessarily to educate consumers about complicated external costs but to understand and address their immediate, personal motivations.”

Protein remains a significant concern for many people, and manufacturers are increasingly placing protein credentials front and center on new products, from plant-based meat and cheese alternatives to snacks, supplements, and even desserts.

However, most people with adequate access to food and drink likely fulfil their recommended protein goals without any additional effort, and one nutritionist described the modern protein trend as “entirely due to marketing.”