TITLE: The role of major retailers and supermarkets in the transition from industrial animal agriculture to alternative proteins in low- and middle-income countries - The case of Brazil. AUTHOR: G.G. Reis. KEYWORDS: meat consumption; diet; alternative pro

Germano Glufke Reis, PhD

doi: 10.15868/socialsector.41304
July 12, 2023

The findings of the report are: 1. Plant-based meat is less widely available in supermarkets than animal meat. 2. Plant-based meat is significantly more expensive than animal meat. 3. Animal products are more often promoted through price reduction and multi-buy offers than their plant-based analogues. 4. Products from plant-based exclusive firms have higher prices, more fragmented availability, and lower discounts compared with plant-based products from meat processor companies.

To discourage the production and consumption of meat in Brazil (a country that is the world's top producer and consumer of industrial meat), and encourage the transition to alternative protein products, one should: 1. Increase the availability of plant-based products in supermarkets. 2. Lower plant-based meat prices. 3. Increase the presence of smaller and purely plant-based companies in retail outlets. 4. Reduce the promotion of animal meat products.

To achieve the above outcomes, one should: 1. Reach out to retailers (e.g. to propose that they make alternative protein products more visible and available). 2. Invest in research (e.g. to find alternative protein sources that have cheaper ingredients). 3. Raise consumer awareness of the benefits of plant-based products and the importance of plant-based exclusive firms. 4. Empower smaller and plant-based exclusive firms. 5. Reach out to policymakers (e.g. for financial support for plant-based meat research, for transferring subsidies away from animal meat, for strengthening alternative protein sector's entrepreneurial ecosystem).

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