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Plant-based pork out performs pork from pigs in consumer taste test

A plant-based pork protein that has done well in consumer blind tests is set to debut in New York City Saturday.  

Tim Bettington with Zoetis says plant-based protein will likely have some impact on the industry. “It’s never going to replace fully what we have today, and it will play a role, it may even expand the use of protein and the sale of protein – if you call it protein,” Bettington says.

Impossible Foods launched Impossible Pork Made From Plants in Hong Kong where 200 customers participated in a blind taste test – 54 percent favored the plant-based protein compared to 46 percent.

Bettington says interest in products like this varies. “There’s certain parts of the country will like the concept, and it will improve, the quality will improve, and the taste will improve as time goes on,” he says.

Impossible Pork Made From Plants scored higher on all attributes tested, including overall liking, appearance liking, flavor liking, texture liking, and purchase intent.

He says reorder rates at supermarkets is still low. “The reorder rate of many plant-based proteins is still 20 percent or lower depending on the supermarket chain,” he says. “I think lots of people are trying it but the growth is still not there.”

Impossible Food says their pork is more sustainable than traditional pork because it uses less water, less land, and generates less greenhouse gas emissions.