Nectar, a non-profit organisation aiming to accelerate the protein transition, has launched what it claims is the largest publicly available dataset on the taste of plant-based meats.

The report, titled Taste of the industry 2025, focuses on the critical factor of taste, as research shows this remains the primary purchase driver for food products in the US.

With the plant-based industry projected to reach $238.1 billion by 2034, and the World Bank ranking alternative proteins as having the second-highest greenhouse gas mitigation potential out of 26 agri-food inventions, there is a clear need to address taste improvements in order to unlock these products’ potential.

Reports of dwindling sales and financial struggles in the meat alternatives category have been linked to a number of factors, flavour and texture being just one part of the equation – however, Nectar’s study delves into the scale of opportunity for sensory experience improvement, analysing specifically where businesses should focus their R&D efforts.

The report was compiled following a blind sensory study of 122 plant-based meat products across 14 product categories, evaluated by a diverse group of people following an omnivore diet. The analysis provides insights into consumer preferences, highlighting areas where plant-based meat alternatives excel and where improvements are needed.

Stand-out products

Only 30% of the participants rated the average product as ‘like very much’ or ‘like’ compared to 68% for the animal product counterpart. However, 20 plant-based products were rated the same or better than the animal version by at least 50% of the participants.

These included Impossible Foods’ unbreaded chicken fillet, chicken nuggets, meatballs, hot dog, burger and sausage patties; Vivera’s plant-based chicken breast; Swap’s chicken fillet; Meati’s classic cutlet; The Vegetarian Butcher’s chicken breast and southern fried chicken; Tofurky’s roasted turkey deli slices; Prime Roots’ cracked pepper turkey; MorningStar Farms’ chicken nuggets and steakhouse-style burgers; The Green Mountain’s ham; Heura Foods’ burger; Redefine Meat’s burger; Beyond Meat’s burger; and Gardein’s original breakfast sausage.

Nectar said these successes can provide an ‘R&D roadmap’ for the rest of the industry to catch up, with the report finding that consumers were more willing to pay a premium for better-tasting products.

Several categories emerged as particular areas of strength – unbreaded chicken fillets, burgers, breaded chicken fillets, chicken nuggets and breakfast sausage were all rated the same or better than the animal benchmark by 40% of participants at the category level.

Despite the high-performing leading products, the average product was rated some form of ‘dislike’ more frequently than being rated ‘like very much’ or ‘like,’ with opportunity for category-level innovation notable in bacon, steak fillet, unbreaded chicken strips and chunks, and bratwurst.

High-performing categories including burgers, chicken nuggets and meatballs, have market penetration of 5-14% versus lower-performing categories, such as bacon and hotdogs, which have <1% penetration, the report states. Leading products captured 50% more market share, with sales $1.5 million higher for every 5% increase in the share of participants rating them ‘same or better’ than the animal benchmark.

R&D priorities

Identifying opportunities for improvement, the report highlighted the need to enhance aftertaste, increase savouriness and reduce off-flavours. Participants described animal products as ‘savoury’ 1.5 times more often, and as having a ‘weird aftertaste’ or ‘off flavours’ five to six times less often compared to their plant-based alternatives. This led to increases in liking of the animal-derived benchmarks by 1.5-2 points.

Other opportunities to improve flavour include reducing chemical-like flavours, increasing fattiness and saltiness and reducing blandness.

Conventional meat products were also described as ‘juicy’ 2.6 times more often than plant-based alternatives, with the report highlighting opportunities to increase juiciness and tenderness while reducing ‘mushy’ textures in plant-based products. Other texture opportunities include increasing moistness, and reducing dryness and crumbly/grainy textures.

Additionally, the report states that adjusting the interior colour, exterior colour and searing offer opportunities for enhancement, with interior colour showing the largest appearance difference compared to traditional meat products.

Overall, appearance was identified as the lowest priority for R&D, while texture was identified as the biggest opportunity in order to close the gap between plant-based and animal-derived meat – texture of plant-based meat products was rated lower than both flavour and appearance for the highest-performing plant-based products.

Just 28% of participants rated the leading products as ‘very similar’ or ‘similar,’ while 39% rated them dissimilar to the animal products to some degree. However, mimicking is not necessarily the biggest priority – nearly twice as many participants rated products as ‘like very much’ or ‘like’ than rated products as ‘very similar’ or ‘similar,’ showing products can be enjoyed without being similar to animal-based varieties.

With regards to ingredients, coconut oil outperformed sunflower and canola oil – it had the highest consumer perception with no meaningful impact on taste. However, ingredients had a limited impact on purchase intent for most participants. Mushroom and mycelium were found to be appealing to consumers, with both associated with a positive change in purchase intent (0.4-0.5 points), but had lower overall liking ratings.

Looking to the future

The report concludes that achieving taste parity with animal products is within reach, with some products achieving no statistically significant difference from animal products in blind tastings.

For the category to unlock its full potential, it notes key considerations for different stakeholders. Brands and manufacturers should embrace a ‘taste-centric’ development approach, it states, while retailers and foodservice operators should recognise they have a ‘crucial role’ in helping consumers to discover plant-based innovations – and should prioritise products that deliver on taste claims.

Furthermore, it recommends investors and funders to consider the ‘outsized impact potential’ of plant-based products that can achieve mainstream adoption through superior taste. Researchers and academics are also encouraged to build on Nectar’s work, using its methodologies and findings to advance understanding of consumer preferences and sensory science in sustainable foods.

Caroline Cotto, director of Nectar Food System Innovations, wrote in the report: “As the plant-based sector continues to navigate adoption challenges, this report comes at a time when producers worldwide – from start-ups to major corporations – are refining their approaches to create more appealing alternatives”.

“Our data confirms this investment is worthwhile: companies that prioritise taste generate stronger financial returns and capture more meaningful market share from conventional animal products. Whether you're a manufacturer, retailer, foodservice operator, investor or consumer, this report illuminates the path toward a more sustainable food system, acknowledging that the transition must be grounded, above all else, in exceptional taste experiences.”