Consumer acceptance of plant-forward recipes in a natural consumption setting. (March 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Spencer, Molly; Rowe, Steven; Bonnell, Carrie; Dalton, Pamela
• Is Part Of: Food quality and preference. Volume 88(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-03
• Subjects: Flexitarian -- Meat reduction -- Sensory -- Consumer preferences -- Semi-vegetarianism -- Dessert choice -- Plant-based -- Plant-forward; Food preferences -- Periodicals; Food -- Quality -- Periodicals; Food industry and trade -- Quality control -- Periodicals; Préférences alimentaires -- Périodiques; Aliments -- Qualité -- Périodiques; Aliments -- Industrie et commerce -- Qualité -- Contrôle -- Périodiques; Food industry and trade -- Quality control; Food preferences; Food -- Quality; Periodicals; 664
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2020.104080
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0950-3293

Abstract

Highlights: Consumer acceptability of plant-forward dishes was studied in a restaurant setting. The plant-forward dishes were as acceptable as their conventional counterparts. The type of main course had a significant impact on subsequent dessert choice. Abstract: There is a push for Western diets to be more plant-based due to the negative environmental, food system, and health implications associated with the conventional meat-centric diet. One plant-forward strategy to maintain consumer acceptability is to modify dishes and desserts to have proportionately more plant-based ingredients and fewer animal-based ingredients. We tested four versions of a main course (bowl) in a natural consumption dining setting (n = 144) with a between-groups design (conventional spicy, conventional mild, plant-forward spicy and plant-forward mild), with two versions of a dessert afterwards. Here we show that plant-forward main course dishes and desserts are just as acceptable, satiating, and satisfying as conventional bowls. This demonstrates that these recipe modifications are a successful strategy in the plant-based diet movement. Of the two dessert options, more consumers selected the conventional dessert after consuming the plant-forward bowls, and more consumers selected the plant-forward dessert (increased fruit/reduced cake) after consuming the conventional bowls. This finding warrants further investigation.