A massive blind taste test fed people real and vegan meats. It revealed something surprising.

[taiwan_girl]

December and January, NECTAR — a nonprofit that conducts research on “alternative protein,” such as plant-based meat — brought together nearly 2,700 people in a first- and largest-of-its-kind blind taste test. Without knowing which version they were tasting, the participants tried 122 plant-based meat products across 14 categories, like burgers, hot dogs, and bacon, alongside one animal meat “benchmark” product per category. Each product was tested by at least 100 participants, who then rated them on texture, flavor, appearance, and overall enjoyment on a 7-point scale from “dislike very much” to “like very much.”

NECTAR wanted to “truly know where things stand today and where we need to focus effort for improvement for the future,” said Caroline Cotto, the organization’s director. “We’re sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly.”

First, the bad news for the plant-based meat industry: Animal meats got far higher scores on all metrics. On average, 68 percent of participants rated the animal meat products as “like very much” or “like,” while only 30 percent of plant-based meat, on average, received the same ratings.

But among plant-based meat products, there’s a wide spectrum of quality. Some, as I’ve written about, are downright terrible, a fact reflected in the NECTAR results with some categories receiving especially low enjoyment ratings. But for 20 of the plant-based products, half or more of the participants rated them higher than the animal version or rated the two equally, meaning they had no preference. Of the 20 highest-rated plant-based products, six came from one company: Impossible Foods.

https://dnyuz.com/2025/04/17/a-massive-blind-taste-test-fed-people-real-and-vegan-meats-it-revealed-something-surprising/

[Mik]

No surprise there.

[jon-nyc]

My thoughts exactly.

[Mik]

Trying to make plant matter look, taste and feel like meat is, imo, a fool's errand. Plants can be made quite delicious and satisfying all on their own, and I'm always looking for things like that, especially in pastas, rice bowls, etc. Just focus on making it so one does not miss meat.

[jon-nyc]

Yeah. Lab grown meat is a different story. But fake veggie meat? No thanks.

[Mik]

There are some exceptions. A well-made black bean burger can be great. But that's not really trying to fool the diner. You know it's black bean when you order it.

[Jolly]

@Mik said in A massive blind taste test fed people real and vegan meats. It revealed something surprising.:

Trying to make plant matter look, taste and feel like meat is, imo, a fool's errand. Plants can be made quite delicious and satisfying all on their own, and I'm always looking for things like that, especially in pastas, rice bowls, etc. Just focus on making it so one does not miss meat.

[LuFins Dad]

@Mik said in A massive blind taste test fed people real and vegan meats. It revealed something surprising.:

Trying to make plant matter look, taste and feel like meat is, imo, a fool's errand. Plants can be made quite delicious and satisfying all on their own, and I'm always looking for things like that, especially in pastas, rice bowls, etc. Just focus on making it so one does not miss meat.

This.

[LuFins Dad]

@Mik said in A massive blind taste test fed people real and vegan meats. It revealed something surprising.:

There are some exceptions. A well-made black bean burger can be great. But that's not really trying to fool the diner. You know it's black bean when you order it.

Yeah, I don’t really consider that a fake meat. The same as a portabella burger…