What do consumers want in a local and sustainable plant-based product? Findings from co-creation workshops on the island of Ireland

The production and consumption of food has a significant impact on our environment, with 2030% of consumption impact on the environment relating directly to food and drink (1–3) . One method of reducing this is to diversify protein intake e.g. reducing meat consumption in favour of more sustainable products. While the use of plant proteins is to be encouraged, on the island of Ireland this still has challenges (4) . There is therefore a need to diversify protein intake on the island of Ireland through products which are both sustainable and local. Using co-creation methods, this study aimed to understand what consumers want as sustainable and local plant-based products. Specifically, the study focused on oat, wheat, barley, rye, and pea. Co-creation puts consumers at the heart of product development, ensuring their ideas are understood from the beginning, thus leading to greater acceptance and potential for product success. Four workshops plus a follow-up workshop (n = 38: 21 female, 17 male, age range 22-80 years old) were held across Belfast and Dublin to understand consumers’ wants for a sustainable and local alternative protein product. Workshops discussed factors influencing food purchasing, current sustainability issues, and strategies to shift to a sustainable diet. Key co-creation tasks included drawing a local and sustainable product based on any (or any combination) of the 5 specified ingredients. Discussions were transcribed and initial findings using content analysis are presented. For products made by participants through co-creation, pea was a popular ingredient, with the top 3 highest rating products based on pea. Products containing oats and wheat were also popular. Product types varied and included main meals (plant-based burgers, pastas etc.), snacks (crackers, crisps etc.), and drinks (milks and meal replacements). While popular in the main workshops, consumers in the follow-up workshop who were tasked with reviewing the products created in the other workshops, largely rejected pea-based products due to taste. The highest rated products were a bolognese product made with pea and barley, porridge oats, and wheat and barley pasta. These findings corroborate wider research findings that taste is vital in new product development. Basic products based on similar products already on the market ranked high, in line with findings that familiarity is a key driver of acceptance of alternative proteins. Future research should use these findings to gauge the popularity and acceptance of these products at a wider level.