Food values drive Chinese consumers' demand for meat and milk substitutes

Abstract

Increasing consumption of alternatives to animal-based food products can have significant implications for the sustainability of global food systems. We utilize consumers' food values to identify the drivers of demand for alternative meat and milk products in China, the world's largest consumer market. Using data from 3015 Chinese consumers, we find that public food values, such as environmental impacts and animal welfare, drive consumers' demand for alternative meat and milk. We estimate that approximately 35% of urban food shoppers constitute the potential market for these products. Plant-based meat alternatives to products with strong consumption dependence, such as pork, must compete on price, while alternatives to products with weak consumption dependence, like milk, are likely to earn market premiums. We estimate that modest consumption of alternative meat and milk products in these markets can improve food system sustainability by lowering China's animal production greenhouse gas emissions by 3.4% in addition to reducing animal slaughtering and potentially decreasing health risks associated with the consumption of animal-based food products.