Plant-based meat and the ultra-processed food debate

This qualitative research report by the Good Food Institute Europe (GFI Europe), with fieldwork by Public First, examines how the debate about ultra-processed foods shapes attitudes towards plant-based meat (meat substitutes) among focus groups of members of the UK public in 2026.

Participants instinctively viewed plant-based meat as processed, but processing was rarely a reason for rejection on its own: it reinforced existing views, giving sceptics another reason to avoid the category, while others accepted it as a trade-off for taste, convenience and familiarity. Plant-based meat occupied a middle ground – judged healthier than processed meat and ready meals, but less healthy than whole foods such as lentils, beans and chickpeas. Health, not the environment, was the main motivation for reducing meat, yet knowledge was low: in earlier survey data, only 35% of UK adults knew about the nutritional value of plant-based foods, compared with 60% for animal-based foods, and 45% felt confident cooking a tasty plant-based meal, compared with 83% for animal-based meals.

Public First conducted six online focus groups in May and June 2026 with 45 adults from England, Scotland and Wales who were open to reducing their meat consumption, drawn from three segments identified in GFI Europe's 2025 survey of 2,394 UK adults. As qualitative research, the findings may not necessarily be representative of general UK public opinion.

UK supermarket sales of plant-based meat fell by 7.3% in 2025 to £295 million, while UK meat consumption is not falling fast enough to meet health or sustainability goals, making public perceptions central to the protein transition.

For more information, visit https://gfieurope.org/resource/plant-based-meat-and-the-ultra-processed-food-debate/.