Were consumers of plant-based beef substitutes buyers of organic or grass-fed beef? Insights from correlations in willingness to pay

Organic and grass-fed beef serve as niche alternatives to conventionally grain-fed beef. A recent addition is plant-based beef substitutes, all three of which are marketed as environmentally friendly options. Despite this, it remains uncertain which specific products plant-based beef substitutes are most directly competing with. In this study, we investigate the correlations between the willingness to pay for plant-based beef substitutes and organic/grass-fed beef using a choice experiment and the Willingness to Pay Space model. Our findings indicate positive correlations between consumers' preferences for plant-based, organic, and grass-fed beef. This suggests that plant-based beef consumers are more likely to be prior consumers of organic or grass-fed beef. Given their relatively small market shares, novel beef substitutes could pose intense competition to the ecolabeled products.