Ready meals that look hot increase consumers’ willingness to pay for plant-based options

This study investigates consumers’ perception of plant-based and meat-based ready meals, focusing on ratings of tastiness, freshness, healthiness, and willingness to pay (WTP). Our findings reveal that plant-based ready meals are perceived as looking less tasty, and consumers exhibit a decreased WTP when compared to meat-based alternatives, despite the plant-based options being perceived as healthier. We further explore whether the visual cueing of a hot meal on food packaging can influence consumer evaluations. Specifically, we examine the effect of adding steam − a visual indicator of heat − to images on frozen food packaging. The results demonstrate that the presence of steam enhances perceived food temperature and freshness ratings for both plant-based and meat-based ready meals. Notably, increased temperature perception leads to a higher WTP, but only for plant-based products. Mediation analysis reveals that for plant-based ready meals, the impact of heightened temperature perception on WTP is mediated by increased perceived tastiness. These findings have significant implications for nudging consumers towards healthier food choices. By leveraging visual temperature cues in packaging design, it may be possible to enhance the appeal of plant-based ready meals, thereby encouraging more sustainable and health-conscious consumer behaviour.