The New Meat
Bollywood couple Genelia and Riteish Deshmukh have announced a plant-based meat products brand, Imagine Meats. They are planning to tap the same opportunity in the Indian market as Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat in the USA. This suggests that the time is not far when we will be seeing vegan meat (as we like to call it) lying on our neighbourhood grocery stores’ shelves. But the big question is, are Indians ready to embrace plant-based meat?
A Survey of Consumer Perceptions of Plant-Based and Clean Meat in India was conducted by The Good Food Institute, The University of Bath, and The Centre for Long Term priorities. The findings state that 63% of Indian consumers reported that they were very or extremely likely to purchase plant-based meat, and 32% said they were somewhat or moderately likely. This may sound promising at a glance, but it is not that simple.
Busting “plant-based meat”: While we can buy “soya chunks” from some grocery stores, the most popular vegetarian alternative in India is paneer (cheese). Most Indians are still unfamiliar with the concept of plant-based meat, and the term “meat” may confuse consumers.
Not scaring away committed vegetarians: Many Indians who are vegetarians are lifelong vegetarians, i.e., they have never tried meat and do not want to. As a result, a product claiming to imitate meat and that even has the word meat in it can be a big turn-off. This may not ultimately matter in the scheme of saving the world since these consumers already have a small carbon footprint. But, If they are making the switch from paneer (or just vegetarian food) to plant-based meat, which they likely would, that would make a serious dent in the dairy industry’s environmental impact.
Explaining Veganism: Even though vegetarianism is a significant part of Indian culture, Veganism is not. Only a small fraction of Indians is vegan, and most dishes have ghee or cream in them. Even though vegan products are vegetarian, it can confuse consumers here to lead with Veganism in a culture where the concept of vegetarianism is so well-known.
Few companies such as Good Dot, Vezlay, Unived, and Ahisma food have come up with alt-protein options in India, but they have not received much traction. Plant-based meat is not a mega-trend in India like it is in the U.S. (yet). So, Imagine Foods needs to take innovative approaches and produce a superior meat alternative that can replace or improve the experience of eating meat. Instead of positioning the products as an alternative to meat, it should focus more on the plant-based protein aspect. Only then will it be able to capture the billion dollars opportunity lying ahead of it.
