Authentic taste, health-forward messaging and meat quality cues are crucial to convince UK consumers
New consumer researchi conducted by Meatless®, a brand of BENEO, shows that hybrid meat products, where plant-based ingredients replace part of the meat content, are gaining traction as a credible and appealing option for consumers. Key arguments for them include reducing meat consumption without compromising on taste, quality or price. Hybrid meat products are therefore a great fit for the 4 in 10 UK respondents identifying as flexitarian, according to the survey.
The consumer survey of 3,500 respondents across the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands was conducted to gain key insights to support the further development of Meatless®’ solutions for hybrid offerings. The findings show that in the UK, taste, quality and price, as well as nutritional considerations are primary drivers of purchase intent: 6 in 10 UK consumers would be willing to buy hybrid meat products if the taste is good and the product is offered at an acceptable price. The survey also reveals that purchase intent is heavily driven by positive features of the meat component rather than the plant-based ingredient, with a ‘real meat taste’ considered a fundamental requirement for hybrid products to appeal to consumers. Premium meat quality, including premium cuts, certified meat, real taste and texture, plays a decisive role, contributing strongly to purchase intent.
Compared to Germany and the Netherlands, nutritional aspects were found to be especially important in the UK, with ‘high in protein’ ranking among the top three statements driving purchasing intent. In fact, for Millennials and Gen Z consumers, a high protein content is the most influential factor. Health-forward messaging and meat quality cues will therefore be key to convince UK consumers of hybrid meat products.
When it comes to overall format preferences, sausages came out as the clear favourite for UK shoppers in the survey, with almost half opting for that format, followed by minced meat (33%) and hamburger patties (15%). When having the choice between the full-meat and hybrid version, the results showed a clear preference among flexitarian consumers for hybrid products across all three formats.
Niels E. Hower, Managing Director at Meatless, concludes: “As one of the first suppliers to focus on hybrid solutions, Meatless® has long believed in the power of combining meat and plants. Our survey confirms that this pragmatic approach of reducing meat by maintaining great taste is key. We are supporting our customers in creating products that fit seamlessly into everyday eating habits and are confident that hybrid will establish itself as a concept that is here to stay, helping to overcome sustainability and availability challenges of the meat category.”
The high-quality plant-based Meatless® texturates are made from ingredients such as faba bean, rice and mycoproteins, enabling manufacturers to develop hybrid products that deliver a familiar meaty taste and improved juiciness, while providing a better nutritional profile. As well as allowing manufacturers to tap into growing consumer demand, hybrid meat products offer them a practical response to ever‑increasing meat costs.
To make improvement potential as tangible as possible, Meatless has designed a cost calculator which manufactures can use to compare their recipes with hybrid formulations in terms of costs, CO2 equivalents, saturated fat and energy.
i Meatless® Survey on Hybrids 2025. Online quantitative study across Germany, the Netherlands and United Kingdom (N=3.489), Nov-Dec 2025.
