From Plant-Based Alternatives to Front-of-Pack Labels: Exploring Consumer Perception and Strategies for Healthy and Sustainable Diets

The transition toward healthier and more sustainable food systems is a pressing challenge of our time, driven by the need to ensure safe, nutritious, and environmentally responsible food for future generations. To support this transition, the present dissertation focuses on two emerging strategies that have shown great potential in fostering healthier and sustainable diets. Specifically, this thesis dives into the promotion of plant-based alternatives, with a focus on meat substitutes, and the implementation of interpretative front-of-pack labeling systems. The research included in this manuscript explores both tools to investigate their potential to influence consumer behavior, improve dietary choices, and support the larger goal of transforming global agrifood systems. Given the widely recognized environmental and health impact of meat production, plant-based alternatives have emerged as a viable solution to reduce meat consumption. Promoting such products could thus contribute to lowering global greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating public health concerns, while also meeting consumers’ growing demand for more ethical and safer production methods. However, to guarantee the potential of plant-based alternatives, consumers’ acceptance and adoption of such foods is key. In this scenario, this dissertation deepens the understanding of consumer perceptions, motivations, and sensory expectations related to plant-based analogs and examines how these factors can shape purchasing decisions and behavior changes. Special attention is paid to how consumers interpret the sensory qualities of these products and how these perceptions can vary depending on the specific type of product being replaced – whether it is a burger or a hot dog replacement – and on the different consumer segments. The research shows that while consumers may expect plant-based alternatives to be healthy and environmentally friendly options, their motivations for adopting such foods often extend beyond health and sustainability concerns to include the need to meet their sensory expectations. Recognizing these diverse motivations is essential for stakeholders aiming at promoting plant-based alternatives through targeted product development and marketing strategies. On the other side, front-of-pack labels, particularly interpretative systems such as the Nutri-Score and Eco-Score, represent another key tool for influencing consumer behavior and fostering healthier and more sustainable food choices. Interpretative front-of-pack labels simplify nutritional and environmental information and provide consumers with the necessary information to make timely decisions at the point of purchase. In the context of this dissertation, front-of-pack labels are explored as tools to improve consumers' understanding and also shape their sensory expectations and purchase intentions for plant-based meat alternatives when compared to traditional meat products. In combining the analysis of the available literature and of novel empirical studies on plant-based alternatives and front-of-pack labels, this PhD dissertation uncovers important insights into the complex relationship between consumer behavior, understanding, sensory perceptions, and visual attention. By enhancing consumer acceptance and understanding, this dissertation also emphasizes the importance of consumer empowerment in driving decisive changes. When provided with the right tools – whether in the form of transparent, accessible information or appealing alternatives to traditional meat products – consumers are better equipped to make food choices that benefit both human health and the environment. Ultimately, as the world seeks to address the challenges posed by climate change, resource scarcity, and public health, promoting plant-based alternatives and effective front-of-pack labeling systems emerges as a promising pathway for aligning consumer behavior with health and sustainability goals. Therefore, by investigating the factors influencing consumer perceptions, acceptance, and behavior, this PhD dissertation supports policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers focused on fostering the transition toward healthier and more sustainable food systems.