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A new survey has found that very few UK shoppers actually mistake plant-based alternatives for animal-derived meat.
More than 94 of people understand that meat-free products do not contain any actual meat, despite claims of consumer confusion over plant-based food labeling.
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The UK’s Bryant Research conducted a survey of 1,007 adults who were shown images of plant-based products from Quorn and THIS. They were asked, “Does this product contain meat from an animal?” Ninety-six percent of those surveyed correctly answered that Quorn Meat-Free Sausages do not contain animal meat, and 94 percent correctly answered that THIS Isn’t Chicken does not contain animal meat. Two percent said they “didn’t know” if the sausages contained meat, and five percent said they weren’t sure about the plant-based chicken pieces. Two percent of those surveyed incorrectly thought that both products contain animal products.
Quorn’s packaging says “meat-free” immediately above the word “sausages,” while the THIS Isn’t Chicken Pieces packaging says “100 percent plant-based.”
Chris Bryant, the executive director of Bryant Research, said, “This is strong evidence against the claim that consumers are confused by [plant-based] products using the words ‘sausage’ and ‘chicken’ in their names.”
Read more: EU Politicians Seek To Expand Plant-Based Label Ban Weeks After Record Heatwaves
EU plant-based labeling ban
Bryant Research’s findings arrived shortly after politicians sought to expand the EU’s controversial plant-based label ban to include more “meaty” words. Customer confusion is often cited by proponents of the ban, despite a growing body of research that indicates people are neither concerned nor interested in the topic.
While the EU will continue to allow the word “sausage,” along with other format-based names, words like “chicken” will not be permitted for alternative proteins.
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