Less than half of the respondents understood the labeling term “plant-based beef” was intended to describe an entirely vegetarian or vegan food product.

About one third of surveyed consumers believed that plant-based fake meat products contained at least some real beef in them.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents believed the fake meat products produced by Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods and LightLife contained real beef or some form of animal byproduct.

32% of consumers who were shown a package of Beyond Meat’s “Beyond Burger” plant-based patties told researchers that they thought the patties contained at least small amounts of real meat. It does not contain any real beef.

37% of consumers who were shown a package of Lightlife’s “Gimme Lean” said the product contained at least some real beef. It does not contain any real beef.

44% of consumers believed plant-based products were lower in sodium, when leading plant-based fake beef is anywhere between 220% to 620% higher in sodium than the same size serving of real ground beef.

Only 24% of respondents correctly identified beef as being lower in sodium.

34% of respondents believed plant-based fake meat to be less processed and another 34% percent believed fake and real beef products were equivalent on the food processing scale.

On the broad category of healthfulness, more than half of consumers believed plant-based meat was better.