Flexitarian foods: do plant-based meat analogs facilitate flexitarian diets?

This chapter takes as its starting points that both flexitarianism and plant-based meat analogs (PBMAs) could be considered relatively low-threshold options for transitioning into the direction of sustainable diets comprising more plant-based foods and less meat. Its focus is on whether and to what extent PBMAs are perceived as appealing substitute foods to meat, especially to flexitarian consumers. Given their meat-reducing diet, it may be expected that flexitarians are particularly interested to switch to PBMAs that fit easily into their diet. This chapter then poses the question: do PBMAs cater flexitarians? The present study’s response is that they do indeed, but mainly to heavy flexitarians (“semi-vegetarians”) and much less to (medium and light) flexitarians closer to more meat-rich dietary patterns. Another remarkable outcome is that PBMAs appeared particularly appealing to vegetarians. This chapter indicates, first, that flexitarians represent a heterogeneous dietary group in which it cannot be taken for granted that PBMAs receive an important role in their diets. Second, it teaches that PBMAs are still far away from mainstream adoption: PBMAs do not prove to be particularly appealing to many omnivore consumers.