As the global demand for meat continues to rise, alternative proteins like plant-based, fermentation-enabled, and cultivated meat are becoming more prominent. These products aim to reduce the environmental impact and health concerns associated with conventional animal agriculture while providing a viable alternative that satisfies consumers with comparable texture and taste. Here we give a comparison of the two products, including the development process, availability, acceptance, and taste.
What is Plant-Based Meat?
Plant-based meat is designed to replicate animal proteins using only plant-derived ingredients. The process begins with high-protein crops like soy, wheat, potatoes, and algae, which are refined and modified to achieve the desired texture, flavor, and nutritional profile. Several techniques can be used to shape the proteins into familiar forms like burgers, sausages, and even whole-cut alternatives like steak or salmon.
Learn more in this 10-minute video made in partnership with the Good Food Institute. Trailer below:
What is Cultivated Meat?
Cultivated meat, also known as lab-grown or cell-based meat, is an entirely different innovation. Rather than using plant ingredients to mimic meat, cultivated meat is grown from real animal cells. Scientists take a small sample of cells called starter cells and place them in a controlled environment called cultivators. Here, they receive nutrients known as growth media that allow them to multiply and, by using scaffolding, develop into muscle tissue—creating real meat without raising or slaughtering animals.
Learn more in this 11-minute video made in partnership with the Good Food Institute. Trailer below:
How Do They Compare?
Plant-based meat alternatives, like tofu, have been used for thousands of years, while the world’s first cultivated meat burger was unveiled just 12 years ago. Both have seen substantial developments in taste, texture, and nutrition.
Availability & Acceptance
Plant-based meats are widely available and have become a significant part of the U.S. food market, with the retail plant-based food sector valued at $8.1 billion in 2023. Notably, plant-based meat and seafood products contributed $1.2 billion to this figure.¹
Brands like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have developed plant-based products that closely mimic animal meat, making them accessible and appealing to many consumers. In 2023, 6 in 10 U.S. households purchased plant-based foods, indicating widespread acceptance.²
Cultivated meat is still in its early stages. It often remains expensive to produce, and scaling up production to make it widely available at an affordable price is a challenge. However, optimism remains high as technological advancements may allow cultivated meat to become cost-competitive with conventional meat by 2030.³
Learn more about recent changes in regulation, scaling, and funding in the cultivated meat sector on our regularly updated news feed.
Taste
According to The Good Food Institute (GFI), 73% of consumers agree that plant-based meat should mimic the taste of conventional meat. However, taste remains a significant barrier, with many consumers citing it as a primary reason for not consuming the product. These insights highlight the importance of developing alternative proteins that closely replicate the sensory experience of traditional meat to encourage consumer adoption.⁴
GFI's research also indicates that nearly half of consumers are open to trying cultivated meat, driven by curiosity about the innovation. Some people have had the opportunity to try cultivated meat and in one taste test performed by SuperMeat, the majority (71%!) of consumers preferred a cultivated chicken sandwich over the conventional product.⁵ This suggests a substantial potential market for cultivated meat once it becomes widely available.
The Bigger Picture: Why Alternative Proteins Matter
The shift toward alternative proteins is more than just a trend—it is a necessary response to the growing global demand for meat and the environmental strain caused by conventional animal agriculture. As highlighted by the Educated Choices Program and the Good Food Institute, the production of conventional meat requires vast amounts of resources.
Producing one calorie of beef requires 34 calories of animal feed, making traditional meat production highly inefficient.⁶ Additionally, diets high in animal-based foods contribute to rising health issues such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.⁷
By researching, producing, scaling, marketing, and adopting alternative proteins like plant-based and cultivated meat, our food system has an opportunity to align with a more sustainable future. As technology advances, these products will continue to improve, providing a broader range of choices for consumers looking for a more socially conscious, sustainable, and nutritious diet.
For additional educational resources on plant-based meats and other food innovations, explore the Educated Choices Program and The Good Food Institute’s “Food Innovation Series.”
¹ GFI. “Retail Sales Data: Plant-Based Meat, Eggs, Dairy.” The Good Food Institute, 2021, https://www.gfi.org/marketresearch.
² Plant-Based Meat, Seafood, Eggs, and Dairy. https://gfi.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2023_State-of-the-Industry-Report-Plant-based-meat-seafood-eggs-and-dairy.pdf.
³ “Cultivated Meat LCA/TEA Report Analysis - the Good Food Institute.” The Good Food Institute, 2 Apr. 2024, gfi.org/resource/cultivated-meat-lca-tea-report-analysis.
⁴ “Consumer Insights & Research Reports | Alternative Proteins | GFI.” The Good Food Institute, 6 Feb. 2025, https://www.gfi.org/resource/consumer-insights.
⁵ "Majority of Consumers Choose Cultivated Meat in Test." WhatIsCultivatedMeat?, Apr. 11, 2022, https://www.whatiscultivatedmeat.com/post/majority-of-consumers-choose-cultivated-meat-in-test.
⁶ “Energy and protein feed-to-food conversion efficiencies in the US and potential food security gains from dietary changes." 2016, Shepon et al.
⁷ “Global impacts of western diet and its effects on metabolism and health: A narrative review.” Nutrients, 2023, https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/15/12/2749.
Image Credit: SuperMeat
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