Jun 16, 2025
Is "Balanced Protein" the Future of Plant-Based Meat?
When news broke that Impossible Foods CEO Peter McGuinness was considering a "hybrid burger that's 50% beef," we knew we had to dig deeper into this emerging category. So we reached out to Tim Dale, Category Innovation Director at Food System Innovations and former marketer at Impossible Foods, to get the inside scoop on what they call "Balanced Proteins."
Express Checkout: How did perception of Balanced Protein as a category contrast with its actual performance, if it did?
Tim Dale: In a rigorous blind taste test, NECTAR’s Future of the Industry 2024 report evaluated 22 Balanced Protein products across nine categories with 1,192 omnivores, measuring flavor, texture, appearance, overall satisfaction, and purchase intent. Four products demonstrated award-winning performance:
Taste Parity: (Balanced Protein is equally-preferred to animal counterpart)
Taste Superiority: (Balanced Protein is preferred over animal counterpart)
In addition, at least 50% of tasters rated the following products as the same or better than the animal benchmark in overall liking: Burgers from 50/CUT and Grateful Eats, BUMP beef/pork meatballs, kidfresh chicken meatballs and nuggets, and Grateful Eats unbreaded chicken patty.
This proved that Balanced Protein products can outperform conventional meat on taste and texture. However, the category's consumer perception is highly susceptible to positioning. Roughly 74% of consumers found the concept appealing, but different studies articulating product benefits in various ways show how these products are described matters heavily to adoption.
For example, when Balanced Proteins are framed as “less meat,” consumer interest declines and product experiences are more likely to be negative. But when it’s positioned as enhancing the meat people already know and love--adding flavor, nutrition, and solving a consumer problem--appeal increases significantly. The key distinction is whether the product is seen as taking something away or offering something more.
EC: Are consumers familiar with the Balanced Protein category?
TD: Most consumers aren't yet familiar with Balanced Protein as a defined category, but the concept itself should feel intuitive. Mixing vegetables into meat has long been part of culinary culture. What's new is using that approach with purpose: to deliver sustainability and health benefits without sacrificing taste.
For industry professionals, establishing Balanced Protein as a category is essential. It provides shared language, clarity on how to market and sell, and a framework to align innovation and investment. But for consumers, the goals should be to highlight these products as the same meat they know and love--now made better.
EC: What are ways that brands are positioning their Balanced Protein products that make them more appealing to consumers?
TD: This category will ultimately grow at the speed of taste. Taste is by far the biggest driving factor for consumers, and product experiences with one brand will have an impact on the category as a whole.
Beyond sensory attributes, these products need to be positioned in a way that is not automatically off-putting to consumers. Through our research, we have three general recommendations for brand positioning in this space:
Make It Additive, Not Subtractive: Consumers respond better when Balanced Protein is framed as enhancing meat rather than replacing it. Successful products position themselves as “meat, made better”--adding flavor and nutrition--rather than taking something away. This “yes, and” approach helps avoid the compromise mindset that often plagues consumers when considering alternative proteins.
Make It Familiar and Craveable: Taste and familiarity are leading food purchase motivators for U.S. consumers. Both in foodservice and at retail, consumers want something that feels recognizable and delicious. Balanced Proteins can perform best when the expectations are anchored in the same flavor and texture cues people already trust. For example, instead of labeling a burger as a "hybrid burger" on your menu, describe it as "a classic beef patty with a chef-inspired mushroom mix."
Solve a Real Consumer Problem: Products like Perdue CHICKEN PLUS succeed because they meet a clear need--parents looking for convenient, kid-friendly food with added nutrition. The product doesn't signal that it's displacing meat, it’s just clearly articulating how it will fit into a consumer's routine. The best-positioned Balanced Protein products will speak to the personal benefits without asking consumers to choose a "new meat."
EC: How can a brand like Impossible—in the case of a future Balanced Protein line extension— re-engage omnivores that may now associate the brand name with only plant-based products?
TD: It's true that the plant-based category as a whole has accumulated real baggage with mainstream omnivores–price sensitivity is high and concerns over "ultra-processed foods" have damaged consumer trust. While Impossible Foods has made strides signaling meatiness and culinary versatility, the company may need to explore other strategic moves to regain momentum with flexitarians if they launch a Balanced Protein product line.
That said, Impossible Foods still holds a number of advantages in the space:
Reputation for Quality: In NECTAR's Taste of the Industry 2025 report, six Impossible Foods products were recognized as being "Ready for Mass Adoption" with at least 50% of respondents rating these products as good or better than the conventional meat counterpart–earning them a TASTY Award.
Expansive Distribution: Impossible Foods is in about 35k retail locations as well as major QSRs like Burger King and Starbucks. This distribution gives them immediate leverage to test and scale new formats.
Brand Recognition: Alongside Beyond Meat, Impossible is one of the few plant-based brands that consumers know by name and wouldn't need to invest in the same level of consumer education to deliver a "plant-forward" message.
So, with these advantages, this is how I believe existing plant-based leaders can capitalize on a Balanced Protein product line:
Leaning into Institutional Foodservice: With an increased focus on emission reporting requirements that go into effect in 2026-2027, institutional foodservice operators are actively looking for low-friction solutions. Balanced Proteins can offer both sustainability gains and guest satisfaction.
Solving a Real Consumer Problem: Consumers remain unsure why they should buy plant-based meat. Most don't see anything wrong with the meat they're already eating. Impossible needs to anchor messaging in a clear consumer problem–like nutrition, cost, or convenience–that resonates at the moment of purchase.
One clear "job to be done" is solving for the affordable weeknight dinner. If any plant-based company has the scale and efficiency to make Balanced Proteins cost less than conventional meat, it's Impossible. Doing so could reset consumer expectations and reposition the product from a niche option to a weeknight staple.
Rethink the Co-Creation Model: To overcome perception hurdles, Impossible may consider partnering with a trusted meat brand to co-create a balanced product. NotCo and Oscar Mayer are a good example of a 100% plant-based co-creation. This could help reposition the brand for omnivores while demonstrating a credible commitment to progress instead of purity.
As pure plant-based meat struggles with taste, price, and perception challenges, balanced proteins offer a pragmatic path forward. With 74% of omnivores expressing interest and products already outperforming conventional meat in blind taste tests, this category could be the hybrid vehicle the industry needs. The key is meeting consumers where they are—not asking them to give up meat, but offering them meat that's simply better.
For struggling plant-based giants like Impossible, embracing the blend might be the difference between survival and obsolescence.