
News & Announcements
The latest from NECTAR and our partners.
Climate progress is still happening: Meet the 2025 Grist 50
Climate progress is still happening: Meet the 2025 Grist 50
Blended proteins show promise for Asia’s food security
NECTAR to unveil consumers insights that might pave the way for mainstream adoption across Asia
How Blended Burgers and Nuggets Could Entice Consumers to Cut Down on Meat
Foods that combine meat and plants might serve as a bridge for some consumers.
Video: Blending in to standout: What is the market potential for ‘balanced proteins’?
Products that combine animal- and plant- protein are a time-tested culinary technique that offer untapped market potential to win over consumers pages on the taste, nutrition, and sustainability goals.
The sneaky way even meat lovers can lessen their cabon impact
Mixing vegetables into processed meat can lower emissions — without compromising taste.
Are plant-based meats really indistinguishable from animal-based products?
Alternative meat products are close enough in taste and texture to their animal-based counterparts as to be indistinguishable, according to new research. Nuggets in particular are singled out as a product that is virtually the same whether made from real chicken or alternatives. But is this really true? Impact Loop puts these results to the test.
Podcast: Feeding innovation by taste testing alternative proteins
Today we talk with NECTAR’s Director, Caroline Cotto, about which products are meeting and exceeding consumer taste expectations and what the alternative protein industry needs to do to get more products to this level. And how NECTAR’s novel dataset can be used to get there faster.
How to get people to eat more veggies? Add meat
Blended meat-veggie products could be the thing that make even meat lovers reduce their consumption.
The best plant-based meat products, according to a huge blind taste test
One company dominated the competition: Impossible Foods.
People say plant-based burgers and nuggets taste just as good as the real thing. So why aren’t they buying them?
A new study shows how psychological and social forces may have more bearing on consumer food choices than price, taste, and convenience.
Here's What a 2,700-Person Taste Test Tells Us About the Future of Plant-Based Meat
Plant-based meat isn’t just struggling with taste — it’s losing the vibe war too.
A massive blind taste test fed people real and vegan meats. It revealed something surprising.
Some of your feelings about meat are just in your head…
These vegan meat brands taste almost as good as the real thing Taste tests prove it.
New research shows which products are closest to "taste parity" — and which need more work.
Cracking the taste code: Overcoming innovation whitespaces, taste and texture challenges in plant-based meat
Plant-based meats currently face challenging market conditions. Consumer adoption is weakening, with 46% of US buyers not making repeat purchases claiming “taste dissatisfaction,” Caroline Cotto, director of sensory research initiative Nectar, tells Food Ingredients First.
Is plant-based meat performing? What consumers make of meat substitutes
A new report finds out which plant-based products consumers like as much as meat
Texture is the key opportunity to improve taste of meat alternatives – but mimicking not the main priority, report reveals
Nectar, a non-profit organisation aiming to accelerate the protein transition, has launched what it claims is the largest publicly available dataset on the taste of plant-based meats.
Taste Still A Barrier for Plant-Based Meat, But Top Brands Show the Way Forward
Meat-eaters find most plant-based alternatives inferior to animal protein in taste and texture, but some industry-leading products show how to bridge the gap.
NECTAR unveils Taste of the Industry 2025, highlights key areas for plant-based meat improvement
NECTAR, a non-profit dedicated to accelerating the protein transition through taste, has launched Taste of the Industry 2025, claimed to be the most comprehensive publicly available dataset on plant-based meat sensory evaluation. The study, which assessed 122 plant-based products across 14 categories, provides a detailed analysis of how these products compare to their animal-based counterparts in flavor, texture, and overall consumer appeal.