Ingredient distributor ACI Group has published a white paper arguing that hybrid meat products, which blend conventional animal protein with plant-based ingredients, represent a more commercially viable emissions reduction strategy than full substitution.
Written by Dr Briony Sayers, the paper centers on a specific market observation: most consumers are not eliminating meat, and attempts to get them to do so have had limited staying power. A Humane Research Council survey of more than 11,000 US adults found that five out of six people who adopted vegan or vegetarian diets eventually returned to eating animal products.
The case for partial substitution
Rather than targeting committed plant-based consumers, the paper argues that broad, incremental reductions across a larger population offer greater aggregate impact. It cites life-cycle assessment data suggesting plant-based proteins can deliver up to 89% lower environmental impact than beef across emissions, land use and water consumption.
Incremental change at scale
World Resources Institute modeling is referenced to illustrate scale: replacing 30% of beef with mushrooms across large volumes of burger production could deliver emissions reductions equivalent to removing around two million cars from the road.
ACI distributes IFF’s SUPRO soy protein and TRUPRO pea protein, both positioned in the paper as suited to hybrid applications across sausages, burgers and mince. The hybrid category has drawn broader industry interest as manufacturers look for reformulation options that sidestep ultra-processed food concerns while maintaining consumer familiarity.
“Hybrid meat may be the most practical pathway to delivering meaningful, large-scale change without compromising taste or texture,” Sayers writes.
