Meiji University study reveals satiety as key to selling plant-based burgers

While environmental awareness is rising globally, the actual purchase rate of ethical products often lags behind consumer sentiment. In the realm of sustainable food, specifically plant-based meat, marketers have long relied on appeals to health and environmental protection to drive sales. However, a new study from Meiji University suggests that to truly capture the consumer’s appetite, the industry must shift its focus from “health” to “volume.”

On 8 December, a research team led by Associate Professor Takumi Kato of the Meiji University School of Commerce announced findings that challenge the traditional marketing of alternative meat. The study demonstrates that promoting the “satiety” or volume of food (leveraging the low-calorie nature of plant-based meat to allow for larger portion sizes) is greatly more effective than promoting health benefits alone.

This research addresses a persistent gap between what consumers say and what they do. This phenomenon is known as social desirability bias, and often skews survey results. Respondents often express positive attitudes toward ethical products to appear socially responsible, yet their purchasing behaviour remains driven by self-interest.

Professor Kato’s team identified that while consumers understand the societal value of ethical consumption, “selfish motives” (personal benefit) exert a stronger influence on purchasing decisions than “altruistic motives” (social or environmental benefit). In the food sector, this has traditionally led companies to market plant-based options as “healthy,” focusing on low calories and low fat.

However, the study argues that this approach fails to address the fundamental psychology of a burger consumer. When a customer chooses a hamburger, their primary desire is often to eat their fill. The health-focused marketing clashes with the inherent desire for satisfaction that drives fast-food consumption. The researchers posit that for ethical products to succeed, they must not shy away from the visceral appeal of the food itself.

The logic behind the “satiety” concept turns the product’s features into an indulgence. Because alternative meat is naturally lower in calories and fat than conventional meat, a consumer can eat a larger burger (thus eat more of it) without exceeding the caloric intake of a standard meat burger.

This finding can be critical for sustainability in the food sector. Livestock farming is a major source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Shifting consumption to plant-based alternatives is a vital strategy for climate action. However, as the study highlights, environmental benefits alone are insufficient to drive mass market adoption.

For food manufacturers and marketers, the message is clear: to mainstream sustainable food, one must appeal to the consumer’s primal desire for satisfaction. Framing the low-calorie attribute of plant-based meat not as a restriction (diet food) but as a permission to indulge in volume, can help companies bridge the gap towards ethical production.