Recent Market Analysis of Plant Protein-Based Meat Alternatives and Future Prospect

Food shortage is a primary challenge as the human population is increasing rapidly. Therefore, the world is looking for ways to establish sustainability in the food system to generate nutritious food with better sensory qualities. To fulfill the animal protein requirements of the world, different meat alternatives are available in the market, like cultured meat, mycoprotein, and insects, but from a sustainable point of view, plant-based meat alternatives are the most suitable. However, in producing these alternatives, industrialists need to be aware of particular challenges and opportunities in production and marketing while manufacturing. The major challenge for industrialists is the consumer acceptance rate, which depends on plant-based products' physical appearance and taste. They can improve the marketing of plant-based meat products by improving plant-based meat alternatives' physical and sensory characteristics. The focus of this paper is to discuss the technologies necessary for the production of plant-based meat alternatives. The current findings suggest that the market scenario will change for plant-based meat producers, in which customer preference and beliefs will have a massive role in the acceptance and marketing of this meat. The development of plant-based meat alternatives is the first step to achieving the goal of sustainable food; more innovations are needed to establish a healthier and sustainable food system as this type of food has a low carbon footprint compared to other products available. Keywords: Plant-based meat, sustainability, food shortage, consumer preference, opportunities, challenges.