Twenty years ago, the availability of vegetarian options in Swedish supermarkets was minimal, often limited to basic offerings that failed to entice a broad consumer base. Today, however, the market landscape has transformed dramatically, boasting an extensive assortment of plant-based products such as vegetarian sausages, fillets, and notably veggie balls—the vegetarian counterpart to the iconic Swedish meatball. Groundbreaking research from Uppsala University sheds light on the complex processes and multiple actors behind this profound shift in consumer food choices, achieved despite tepid political enthusiasm and limited legislative intervention.
The transition toward widespread plant-based meat alternatives is a multifaceted phenomenon that transcends mere market dynamics. The study published in Technological Forecasting and Social Change meticulously explores how commercial enterprises, consumer behaviors, and civil society collectively propelled the introduction and acceptance of meat analogues. Their analysis reveals a notable absence of proactive policy frameworks, indicating that the change was essentially socially and economically driven rather than legislatively mandated.
At the heart of this transformation lies what the researchers describe as “pragmatic legitimacy.” Plant-based alternatives secured legitimacy by aligning with consumer expectations regarding convenience, price competitiveness, and palatability, while simultaneously offering producers viable profit margins. Consequently, product development predominantly focused on replicating the taste and texture of traditional meat rather than promoting fundamental alterations in dietary habits toward more whole-food vegetarian options. This approach deliberately targets habitual meat-eaters by offering familiar culinary formats instead of encouraging a shift to unfamiliar vegetarian dishes, such as lentil casseroles or legume-based meals.
While this meat-mimicking strategy has undoubtedly catalyzed rapid market uptake, the nutritional compromises inherent in some plant-based products have garnered critical attention. Processed vegetarian alternatives frequently contain high levels of sodium, fats, or additives to emulate meat’s sensory experience. Helena Fornstedt, the lead author of the study, emphasizes that educating consumers on preparing wholesome vegetarian meals may yield superior health outcomes compared to embracing processed meat substitutes with complex ingredient profiles. However, the prevailing focus remains on products designed to mimic meat, which arguably limits the broader transition toward sustainable eating practices.
The methodology underpinning the research integrates extensive qualitative data, including interviews with 41 key stakeholders engaged in Sweden’s plant-based food sector. These participants represent a diverse cross-section comprising entrepreneurs, product developers, chefs, farmers, academics, procurement officers, journalists, and policymakers. Complementary sources such as newspaper archives, policy documents, and scientific literature further enrich the empirical foundation. This comprehensive approach provides a robust understanding of the socio-technical and institutional factors influencing the rise of plant-based products.
The study identifies four pivotal milestones that catalyzed momentum for plant-based alternatives in Sweden. The 2006 UN report Livestock’s Long Shadow dramatically illuminated the environmental consequences of meat production, coinciding with heightened public awareness through Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth and the UK’s Stern Review on climate economics. These events galvanized Swedish civil society and commercial actors to reconsider meat consumption paradigms. Additionally, the 2012 integration of sustainability criteria into the Swedish National Food Agency’s nutritional guidelines marked an institutional shift prioritizing environmental concerns alongside health, setting consumption ceilings for red meat that further framed public discourse.
The commercial breakthrough arrived in 2015 with the launch of Oumph!, the first Swedish-developed plant-based product explicitly designed to replicate meat’s fibrous texture. This innovation attracted significant private investment and spurred media attention, chiefly stimulated by the protein shift report by consultants Macklean. The subsequent flood of articles in the national press introduced “proteinskifte,” or protein shift, into popular parlance by 2016, signaling a cultural shift in awareness and acceptance of alternative protein sources.
Institutional support accelerated further in 2016 when Sweden adopted a national Food Strategy linking innovation, sustainability, and health goals. For the first time in years, public funding actively supported research and industrial development of plant-based foods. This policy environment, though not entirely proactive, created conditions for intensified product innovation and market expansion. Nevertheless, the researchers highlight that despite these favorable conditions, the policy impetus remains fragmented and insufficiently directive in steering the sector toward comprehensive sustainability objectives.
Interviews illustrate the nuanced ways in which external events and reports inspired individual companies to engage with plant-based innovation. For instance, a major hamburger chain credits An Inconvenient Truth with motivating heightened sustainability commitments, while a traditional meat producer’s interest in vegetarian products was piqued following the Macklean protein shift publication. These case narratives underscore how cultural artifacts and consultancy outputs can invoke pivotal institutional changes from within industries resistant to change.
Despite these positive developments, the research underscores that the pace of transformation could be significantly hastened with stronger, more coherent policy measures. The current incremental progression stems largely from dispersed, grassroots, and market-driven initiatives. Governmental actions such as the revision of dietary guidelines, targeted research grants, fiscal interventions including meat taxation, or subsidies for plant-based alternatives could strategically direct innovation toward superior nutritional, environmental, and sensory outcomes.
The inevitability of systemic change in food production and consumption is a crucial insight from this research. The accumulation of multiple minor interventions across different sectors reveals how incremental legitimacy can reorient entire technological innovation systems. Moreover, legitimacy is not monolithic; the study elucidates how moral, pragmatic, and cognitive dimensions of legitimacy converge and diverge in shaping the trajectory of plant-based meat alternatives.
Despite the promise of plant-based alternatives in mitigating environmental impacts, the study cautions against viewing imitation meat as a panacea. It calls for a broadened vision encompassing the promotion of minimally processed, nutritionally optimized vegetarian options. Such a reorientation would necessitate both technological innovation and cultural shifts in culinary education, consumer habits, and policy frameworks.
Finally, the research argues that a more holistic approach to fostering sustainable food systems requires integrated strategies. These should encompass not only product innovation but also educational campaigns, infrastructural changes, and regulatory reforms. By aligning economic incentives with health and environmental imperatives, Sweden—and potentially other nations—could unlock profound advancements in dietary transitions toward sustainability.
In conclusion, the study from Uppsala University offers an incisive blueprint for understanding and accelerating the evolution of plant-based food systems. By illuminating the complex interplay of legitimacy, innovation, and policy, it spotlights pathways to rapidly enhance the scale and impact of sustainable dietary alternatives. As global pressures mount on food systems, such integrative insights are critical to guiding both governmental strategies and commercial endeavors toward more resilient and healthful futures.
Subject of Research: The development and legitimization processes driving plant-based meat alternatives in Sweden’s food system.
Article Title: How configurations of legitimacy shape directionality in technological innovation systems: The case of plant-based meat alternatives in Sweden
News Publication Date: 26-Aug-2025
Web References: 10.1016/j.techfore.2025.124283
Image Credits: Mikael Wallerstedt, Uppsala University
Keywords: plant-based meat alternatives, technological innovation systems, legitimacy, sustainable food systems, dietary transition, Sweden, protein shift, policy influence, consumer behavior, food technology, environmental impact, processed vegetarian foods
