Plant-based meat and the ultra-processed food debate

Plant-based meat has the potential to help the UK eat less red and processed meat, with growing evidence¹ linking this swap to higher fibre intake, reduced saturated fat intake, and a smaller environmental footprint.

But despite more than half of adults saying they want to eat more plant-based foods, less meat and dairy, or both, UK sales of plant-based meat have fallen since 2021. Commentators have linked this to the ongoing debate around ultra-processed foods (UPFs), but there is little direct evidence of how the association between plant-based foods and UPFs in the media is shaping attitudes towards the category. This report² begins to address that gap.

Methodology

The Good Food Institute Europe (GFI Europe) commissioned Public First to conduct six online focus groups in May and June 2026, involving 45 participants identified as open to eating more plant-based foods and/or less meat. The groups discussed everyday food choices, their reflections on the UPF debate, their attitudes towards plant-based meat, and which framings of it resonated most.

What do members of the UK public think about plant-based meta and the UPF debate?

The core conclusion of this research is that “processed food” was a ubiquitous concept among focus group participants and has coloured their perceptions of the plant-based meat category’s healthiness and trustworthiness. However, the UPF lens is not the only way that participants judged plant-based meat, and it often reinforced existing perceptions.

For those who already had concerns about issues such as taste and texture, processing entrenched an existing dislike, giving another reason to avoid plant-based meat. For those with more positive experiences, processing was perceived as a drawback, but not sufficiently so to outweigh plant-based meat’s benefits as a familiar, convenient and accessible way to eat less meat. This suggests that the UPF debate increases doubt, but it is not the only factor in people’s decision-making.

Other key findings included:

• People instinctively viewed plant-based meat as processed. Participants raised concerns about long ingredient lists and food that felt artificial. However, these concerns were based on instinct rather than technical understanding, and many people could not explain what the term “ultra-processing” meant. Instead, they used it as a shorthand for broader anxieties around the food industry.
• Plant-based meat occupies a middle ground. Many participants judged it as being healthier than processed meat but less healthy than whole foods such as lentils, beans, chickpeas or vegetables.
• Convenience is not important for everyone. Convenience was an appealing aspect of plant-based meat for people who otherwise relied on convenient (often processed) meat options, such as sausages, nuggets and ready meals. Those who reported cooking from scratch or didn’t mind eating more lentils and beans did not see the same value in it.
• Health, not the environment, was the strongest entry point. Most participants aiming to cut down on meat were doing so due to specific issues like cholesterol, digestive problems, weight, ageing, or other medical conditions. Environmental and animal welfare reasons were supporting, not primary, motivators.

Directions for further research

More work is needed to test these findings against a nationally representative sample, but this report lays the groundwork for a deeper understanding of people’s perceptions of plant-based meat and the role it can play in their diets. The research suggests that, for consumers who typically rely on processed meat as a convenient base for their meals, plant-based meat could make meat reduction easier.

Businesses and civil society organisations working to support the transition to eating more plant-based foods should focus on the specific strengths of plant-based meat based on available evidence, and the people it is most likely to be able to support, rather than presenting it as a silver bullet.

Explore the full report here, and the summary here. A full, machine-readable markdown version of the report is also available in our Zenodo collection here.