Polish Consumers’ Perception of Plant-Based Alternatives

The study aimed to diagnose to what extent consumers know and consume plant-based alternatives and how they perceive them. The study was carried out on a nationwide sample of adult Poles (N = 1003) between June and September 2023. The CAWI method was used to collect data (Computer Assisted Web Interview). The results of our research indicate that the main association for meat alternatives was “soy products”, while for milk alternatives, it was “plant-based drinks”. At the same time, the analysis of the results of our research has shown that meat and milk alternatives belong to a group of products that can be considered rather unrecognizable by Polish consumers and have less positive associations. Among the recommendations for producers and processors of this category of food, it is worth pointing out that – along with the growing offer of alternatives – multi-channel communication with consumers should be used. This communication should be addressed in two ways: (1) to all consumers to interest them in this category of products and (2) to potential customers who know or are intentionally looking for meat and milk alternatives.