Beyond the Product: How to Make Alternative Proteins a Natural Choice for Everyone Alternative proteins are becoming more available, but availability alone does not guarantee acceptance. What makes people curious enough to try them, confident enough to choose them, and familiar enough to include them in everyday meals? LIKE-A-PRO explores the systems that can turn innovation into lasting change. A new product on the shelf is only the beginning of a food transition. For alternative proteins to move from niche to mainstream, consumers need more than access. They need confidence, familiarity, and meaningful opportunities to make new choices part of everyday life. The EU-funded LIKE-A-PRO project investigated what enables this shift. Through Living Labs, behavioural intervention pilots, and engagement with stakeholders across Europe, the project explored a key question: what needs to change around consumers to make sustainable protein choices easier, more attractive, and more normal? The answer is clear: there is no single lever. Lasting change happens when different parts of the food system work together. Communication plays an important role, but simply providing more information is not enough. Consumers are more likely to engage when messages connect with everyday priorities such as taste, convenience, affordability, health, and familiarity. Campaigns that create curiosity, use trusted voices, and show how alternative proteins fit into real meals can help build trust without creating pressure or resistance. The environments where people make food choices matter just as much. Retailers, food service providers, and public institutions can support trial and acceptance by making alternative proteins more visible, accessible, and appealing. Public procurement can further accelerate change by creating demand and helping sustainable protein options become part of everyday meals in schools, workplaces, and public settings. Building familiarity also starts early. Schools or educational institutions are not only places where young people learn about food. They are food environments themselves. By connecting classroom learning with school meals, cooking activities, tasting opportunities, and student participation, educational institutions can help young people develop the skills and confidence to engage with diverse protein choices. Trust remains a foundation for all these efforts. Clear and consumer-friendly information can help people understand what alternative protein products are, compare options, and make informed choices without feeling overwhelmed. Based on these insights, LIKE-A-PRO developed a set of governance mechanisms that provide practical guidance for policymakers, educators, retailers, food businesses, and other actors working to support sustainable food transitions. Download them here: Enabling Sustainable Protein Choice Through Public Procurement Policy Marketing Alternative Proteins Through Food Environment Design A Consumer-Informed Labelling Format for Alternative Protein Products Communication Campaigns for Alternative Proteins Embedding Alternative Proteins in School Food and Learning Environments “The key message is simple: alternative proteins will not become mainstream through products alone. They become part of everyday life when the surrounding food environments, narratives, and systems make them feel accessible, desirable, and possible.” Says Arlind Xhelili, CSCP Project Manager. To find out more and collaborate with the CSCP on the topic, please reach out to Arlind Xhelili.