Growing concerns about the negative impacts of meat consumption on human health, the environment, and animal welfare have fueled interest in meat alternatives. While taste, health, and convenience have been primary drivers of consumer acceptance in past studies, this research explores the emerging role of moral considerations. The study uses longitudinal Twitter data (now X) to examine spontaneous conversations about meat alternatives in English and Japanese, providing a cross-cultural perspective. Japan, with its established tradition of soy-based meat substitutes, offers a contrasting context to the more rapidly developing Western markets, particularly the United States, where alternative meat products are increasingly prevalent. Previous research has highlighted the importance of replicating the taste and texture of traditional meat, but this study hypothesizes a growing shift towards prioritizing ethical concerns. The use of Twitter data allows for a large-scale, longitudinal analysis that avoids the limitations of retrospective survey data, capturing the real-time evolution of consumer sentiment.

Prior research emphasizes the influence of taste, health benefits, and convenience on consumer acceptance of meat alternatives. Studies consistently show a preference for plant-based alternatives due to their familiarity and perceived health benefits. Research also stresses the importance of mimicking the sensory experience of meat to encourage adoption. However, existing studies largely overlook the growing moral dimensions associated with food choices. Although earlier research indicated a limited association between dietary choices and social issues, more recent surveys reveal a significant shift in consumer values, with increased awareness of the environmental and ethical implications of meat consumption. Social media data analysis has proven valuable in understanding evolving food preferences and values, capturing shifts in consumer attitudes over time. This study leverages this method to examine the changing landscape of consumer interest in meat alternatives, specifically focusing on the interplay between sensory appeal and moral considerations.

The study collected data using the Twitter Academic API v2, gathering tweets containing keywords related to meat alternatives in English and Japanese from 2006-2021 and 2008-2021 respectively. The data underwent preprocessing to remove retweets and duplicate posts, ensuring analysis focused on organic user-generated content. Language detection was implemented to ensure data purity. Morphological analysis using NLTK (for English) and MeCab with mecab-ipadic-NEologd (for Japanese) decomposed the tweets into morphemes. To measure consumer interest, the researchers analyzed the frequency of motivational words categorized as sensory appeal, mood, familiarity, weight control, health, animal welfare, environmental protection, political values, price, and convenience. These categories and keywords were adapted from a pre-existing food choice motivation questionnaire. Co-occurrence of motivational words with mentions of meat alternatives served as a proxy for consumer interest. To assess moralization, the study employed the Moral Foundations Dictionary (MFD) and its Japanese counterpart (J-MFD), measuring the frequency of moral words (related to Care, Fairness, In-group, Authority, and Purity) co-occurring with mentions of meat alternatives. The analysis focused on temporal changes in word frequencies to identify shifts in consumer interest and the growing moral dimension associated with meat alternatives.

The study reveals a significant diversification of consumer interest in meat alternatives. While taste initially dominated conversations, the late 2010s witnessed a rise in discussions concerning animal welfare, health, and environmental impacts. This trend was notably more pronounced in English tweets. Analysis shows a consistent annual decline in words related to sensory appeal, while those related to animal welfare and health increased. Environmental concerns experienced the most rapid growth over the decade. English-language tweets demonstrated a stronger emphasis on health concerns compared to Japanese tweets, where animal welfare discussions were more prevalent. The analysis of moral word usage indicates a growing moralization of discussions around meat alternatives, with English tweets consistently exhibiting higher moral word usage than Japanese tweets. Conditional probability analysis showed that moral words were used significantly more often in tweets discussing animals and the environment, suggesting a strong correlation between moral considerations and these specific aspects of meat alternatives. The 'Care' moral foundation consistently dominated moral discussions, particularly in English tweets, indicating a focus on harm reduction to animals and the environment.

The findings demonstrate a clear shift in consumer perception of meat alternatives, moving from a primarily sensory focus to an increasingly moralized perspective. The study's longitudinal and cross-cultural design provides strong evidence supporting this trend. The more pronounced moralization in English tweets may reflect differences in the maturity of the alternative meat market and cultural norms related to food and ethics. The increased focus on price in English tweets suggests a growing consideration of integrating meat alternatives into daily diets, despite potential barriers such as higher cost and imperfect sensory replication. The study's findings are consistent with recent research highlighting growing moral conflicts surrounding animal product consumption and the influence of environmental concerns on consumer behavior. However, further research is needed to fully understand the link between moral concerns and actual consumption patterns.

This study provides compelling evidence of a significant shift in consumer attitudes towards meat alternatives, with a growing emphasis on moral considerations related to animal welfare and environmental protection. While sensory appeal remains important, ethical concerns are increasingly driving conversations surrounding these products. This research highlights the importance of incorporating moral messaging into marketing strategies for meat alternatives. Future research should investigate the causal link between moral appeals and consumption behavior, further explore cross-cultural variations, and consider the impact of different types of meat alternatives on consumer perceptions.

The study's reliance on Twitter data introduces potential limitations. The sample may not fully represent the broader population, potentially overrepresenting younger users or those with a strong interest in the topic. The analysis also does not account for nuances like sarcasm or double negatives in tweets, which could affect the interpretation of moral word usage. Future studies should incorporate additional data sources and refine methods to address these limitations, investigating the correlation between online discussions and actual purchase behavior.