Plant-based meat’s success in Asia boils down to cost and outreach

The problem? According to new research conducted by the Good Growth Company, consumers in Southeast Asia – one of the world’s fastest-growing economic regions – overwhelmingly say they intend to keep eating animal meat. Meanwhile, nearly a quarter want to increase their consumption over the coming year, not decrease it.

That’s bad news for the planet. But this top-line figure obscures more nuanced takeaways, which collectively reveal several “middle path” areas where an accelerated uptake of climate-friendly alternative proteins like plant-based meat is not only possible but could also strengthen the regional economy.

This same principle held true on the other end of the spectrum: people who currently consume animal meat infrequently were significantly more sceptical of consuming plant-based meat.

If that feels counterintuitive, it’s because plant-based meat marketing has traditionally focused heavily on the idea of substitution (‘Want a healthier alternative? Drop the meat and try veggie chicken instead!’).

But this data shows that framing plant-based meat only as a replacement product risks leaving out a lot of potential purchases. Consumers were unequivocal that what they are truly craving is protein diversity, not wholesale replacement. That’s an audience worth speaking more directly to.

The data also shows that Asian consumers broadly agree with alternative protein companies that their products come with a lot of potential benefits. When asked to describe their impressions of the plant-based meat category, the top survey answers were “healthy”, “easy to digest” and “tastes good.”

So what’s holding shoppers back from filling their baskets with plant-based pork? By far the most important factor is affordability. Almost half