Here's What a 2,700-Person Taste Test Tells Us About the Future of Plant-Based Meat

Stacey Leasca | 23 April 2025

In 2024, meat sales in the United States surged. According to data from Circana, meat sales increased by more than 5% in September 2024 compared to the same month in 2023. And, as noted in the 2025 Nectar Taste of the Industry report, the "plant-based meat sector has experienced a 20% year-over-year volume decline." People, it seems, are falling back in love with meat. However, that may be simply because society is telling us to. 

The 2025 report by Nectar is an exhaustive survey of 2,684 adults in New York and San Francisco who self-identify as omnivores or flexitarians. The study asked participants to eat and rate both meat-based and plant-based products at restaurants in both cities to "achieve an authentic and natural eating experience," the study stated.

All food products were prepared according to each manufacturer's instructions, and the study and survey were blinded and randomized to ensure the most equitable outcomes. So here's where things get interesting.

Read the full story.