Plant-based food labels have outperformed vegetarian and vegan labels in a recent study as the majority of participants believed plant-based products are tastier and purer than the others.
According to La Trobe University research conducted among US and German consumers, both groups of participants preferred plant-based foods, rating them as tastier and purer, and indicated that they were more likely to buy them than foods labelled vegan or vegetarian.
The study covered items that are usually entirely animal-derived, including cheese or sausages, as well as foods that may have minimal or no animal-sourced ingredients, such as pasta, chocolate, and cookies.
“While our US participants also believed the plant-based foods were healthier, more ethical, and more environmentally friendly than the other labels, our German participants did not make the same connection,” said Matthew Ruby, lead researcher.
“This is perhaps because vegetarian and vegan labelling is more widespread in Germany, on both healthier whole food products and heavily processed foods.”
However, the study found that information seeking and attitudes towards plant-based diets did not modify the influence of label style on customer impressions of food products.
Participants in the study may have perceived vegan and vegetarian nomenclatures as more restrictive and identity-prescriptive, whereas plant-based products appear to be more inclusive and hence more appealing. This is also consistent with recent research showing that vegetarian dishes were less likely to be chosen when framed as vegetarian, as opposed to a pro-environmental, social, or neutral frame.
Further reading: Yulli’s at Home adds four new plant-based meals to its range
