Choice effects associated with banning the word “meat” on alternative protein labels

Abstract

There is debate about whether meat labeling regulations might prevent consumer confusion or simply reduce the substitution between competing products. Using a between‐subjects experiment with a sample of 1504 U.S. households, we tested whether U.S. consumers could accurately identify the nutrition content and ingredients in traditional and nontraditional meat. We then conducted a discrete choice experiment to test for likely changes in choices between traditional and nontraditional meat products. Results suggest that more than 30% of consumers cannot accurately distinguish between the two. We find that labeling restrictions do not decrease consumer confusion and are unlikely to substantially affect how consumers substitute between traditional and nontraditional meat.

Evaluation of public submissions to the USDA for labeling of cell-cultured meat in the United States

“…We analyzed all top preceding label terms (e.g., cultured, cultivated, cell-cultured) with and without the term meat. Previous research has shown that inclusion of the word meat does not play a significant role in consumer understanding (47). However, identifying these products as meat has implications for the standards of identity for meat and meat products as outlined in the introduction.…”