Shift of people towards plant-based alternatives:
There is an increase in the human population in the world to be about 9.8 billion by the year 2050, however, it has also been predicted that the demand for protein will also increase, due to which the concerns about sustainability and meeting the nutritional needs in the upcoming year are being raised (Miller et al., 2024). It has been reported by Globe Scan (2024) that vegan food or plant-based food is consumed more by Gen Z, as they prefer sustainable eating. It has also been extracted from the research by Ruzgys and Pickering (2024) that Gen Z is more engaged in sustainable dietary behaviour and they are highly concerned about environmental sustainability while choosing their food options. However, it has also been reported by Raptou et al. (2024) that Gen Z is more willing to pay for plant-based meat alternatives and prefers eating vegan meat instead of animal meat due to environmental factors and ethical aspects (killing of animals).
Academic/theoretical insights related to this trend:
The phenomena of the increasing shift towards plant-based meat alternatives and the buying behaviours of young consumers have been explained by Ruzgys and Pickering (2024) under the light of the trans-theoretical model, which claims that people go through four stages that have the potential to change their dietary and lifestyle behaviours and patterns. The younger generation (currently Gen Z) is in their change state (contemplation/ preparation stage) which has shifted their focus from animal-based eating to plant-based meat alternatives, and vegan diet, as now they prefer sustainable eating over animal-based and environmentally damaging eating. According to Jahn et al. (2021), it has been known that people will be motivated to consume more plant-based meat in the future if the barriers to PBMA are addressed. These barriers include lower availability of PBMA in grocery stores, high prices of PBMA foods, and a short run of the products in stores. However, after addressing these issues in the future the buyers will be more interested in buying PBMA because of its higher availability, cost friendliness, consumption of relevantly less time to cook, and a variety of food range.
A need of research in this area:
Considering the increasing demands for plant-based meat alternatives and the shift of buyer patterns from animal based meat to plant-based, this topic holds potential significance as it can significantly impact the Australian retail and production sector in the future. Moreover, from the perspectives of the consumers, this topic is also important because people will be more inclined towards sustainable eating in the future. It has been observed that limited research targeting the shift towards plant-based meat alternatives- motivations and barriers among the younger generation in Australia is scarce, as most studies have targeted countries like India, Greece, UK etc (Raptou et al, 2024) or have targeted the consumers generally (i.e. no age specification).
Research Questions:
This research aims to answer the following research questions:
- Research Question 1: What are the barriers and motivators impacting the shift or purchasing intention of plant-based meat alternatives in Australia?
