Consumers’ willingness to pay for alternative protein food products: taste preference, health, and environmental concerns

Wenfan Su, Yu Yvette Zhang and Jiping Sheng

Applied Economics, 2025, vol. 57, issue 54, 9168-9184

Abstract: This study investigates consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay (WTP) for traditional animal meat, plant-based meat, and cell-cultured meat products, specifically focusing on beef, chicken, and pork categories. The experiment involves presenting participants with various meat options, along with the presence or absence of carbon footprint or low-salt labels. The findings reveal that consumers exhibit a lower WTP for plant-based and cell-cultured meat compared to traditional animal meat across all three categories (beef, chicken, and pork). Moreover, both carbon footprint and low-salt labels significantly increase consumers’ WTP. The choices made by consumers are influenced by attribute preferences and product-related concerns. Specifically, taste preference significantly impacts consumers’ preference for animal meat over cell-cultured meat in the beef, chicken, and pork categories; however, this effect is not significant for plant-based meat. Consumers who prioritize health concerns tend to choose plant-based beef and chicken over traditional options. Environmental concerns play a crucial role in pork choices, leading to a decrease in the selection of animal pork and an increase in the preference for cell-cultured pork. These findings offer valuable insights for industry stakeholders seeking to advance protein biotechnology and drive innovation in the food market.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2024.2408035

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