NEW YORK — In a blind taste test, a group of 1,192 omnivores and flexitarians found food products containing a 50/50 blend of animal and plant ingredients to be the most appealing. And, according to a report released Sept. 23 from Nectar, the research arm of Food System Innovations, 74% of participants said they were either “extremely interested” or “interested” in the plant-rich meat category.

The 215-page report, “Future of the Industry: Plant-Rich Meat,” compiled and analyzed sensory panel data from participants who evaluated 22 plant-rich meat products across nine categories. All the plant-rich products, including burgers, hotdogs, sausage, steak, chicken nuggets and more, were tested against 100% plant-based and 100% animal-based products.

In six out of eight categories, the leading plant-rich product outperformed the leading plant-based product, the report said. Panel participants gave sustainability and health as the main reasons behind their interest in plant-rich foods, which Nectar cited as evidence meat companies should use health and climate messaging to maximize market share.

Nectar said the results show plant-rich products can do what plant-based meat products haven’t yet accomplished, which is to get consumers to reduce their meat consumption.

“We’re trying to show folks that you can still preserve the taste you love and have benefits not only for the climate but for health,” said Caroline Cotto, the group’s director. “When we look at Asian cuisine — Chinese food, for example — they’ve always used meats as a complementary flavor in holistic dishes, and you can bring that more to the American palate.”

The term “plant-rich” applies to various blends of animal-based and plant-based ingredients, but it is not universally used within the industry, she noted.

“We’re calling it plant-rich foods for this report, but we still need to help consumers understand the term and the benefits and why there might be a price differential at this point,” Cotto said. “These products can be more expensive, which can be confusing to consumers, but they’re often blended with premium ingredients such as mushrooms.”

“Hybrid” is another term being used to describe blends of animal- and plant-based ingredients, which some call the future of the alternative-protein sector.

A product highly rated in the Nectar taste test was the Both Burger from California-based 50/50 Foods. It contains beef and a combination of vegetables, including roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, riced broccoli and cauliflower. Another product that tested well was Chicago-based Fusion Foods’ Duo burger, which is a blend of half beef and half mushroom.

Plant-rich products are attracting buy-in from major foodservice outlets, Cotto noted. 50/50 Foods recently got a contract with Disneyland to serve its burgers, and Sodexo is piloting hybrid products in its foodservice business.

Taste and cost commonly are cited as major drivers of consumers’ purchasing decisions, with both of those elements, plus texture, serving as obstacles to more plant-based or plant-rich product sales. But as consumers become more familiar with the products, Cotto said acceptance will grow and food businesses will continue to innovate.

Nestle and Quorn are trialing related products, with Nestle recently introducing Maggi Rindecarne in Chile. The product is a mix of soy and spices allowing consumers “to prepare a dish combining meat and plant-based proteins,” the company said. Quorn will provide mycoprotein to a caterer working with the National Health Service in the UK to serve a 50/50 blend with pork in NHS hospitals by the end of this year. The product is meant to replace some 100% meat items.

“It will be exciting to see what happens with adoption,” Cotto said of the Quorn project. “It’s a good case study. The Nestle product launched this summer, but you have to add your own meat, so there’s a little less convenience. The products that will win right out of the gate have done that premixing in advance.”

Food manufacturers may be evaluating whether it makes sense to develop plant-rich products and how the return on investment, potential consumer acceptance and pricing strategy fit into the mix. Cotto said Nectar’s sensory panel data can help, but how innovative products taste will be the deciding factor for consumers increasingly interested in the trend.

“Marketing is definitely a big piece of it, but we think having a good baseline of taste is going to drive a lot more sales,” she said. “It’s an essential part of that equation. Timing is everything in the food industry. I think the time has come now that companies are revisiting this idea with renewed fervor.”