Case Study: The Good Food Institute achieves actionable consumer insights to drive plant-based meat product innovation with Brandwatch

Meat 2.0 Unlocking Consumer Priorities With Social Data for the Good Food Institute

The Good Food Institute (GFI), an international nonprofit that accelerates alternative-protein innovation, commissioned Brandwatch to understand how consumers talk about plant-based meat. GFI’s brief was to uncover sensory experiences and unmet needs in US conversations so product teams could prioritize improvements and identify whitespace opportunities in the market.

Brandwatch analyzed Google search trends and 7,292 US social mentions (Twitter, Reddit, forums) from Dec 2018–Dec 2019 and found rising interest in “vegan meat,” strong sentiment differences by terminology (e.g., “fake meat” skewed negative), and that burgers dominated conversations. Taste was the top concern (71% of sensory mentions), with texture, appearance, and smell less prominent. Key takeaways—demand for both authentic meat analogues and novel non-meat products, whitespace in pork/fish/duck, and practical fixes like highlighting absent undesirable textures, clearer prep/serving guidance, and alternative naming—helped shape GFI’s product improvement and innovation priorities.

The Good Food Institute

Matthew Ball

Senior Communications Specialist