###### Abstract  
Food product attributes may significantly influence the general perception of the product itself, as well as the willingness for its consumption. Assessment of the product is based on customers' beliefs and individual preferences. Because meat-like products are presented as meat substitutes providing sufficient protein values, the present study aimed to determine the effect of protein source and labelling pointing at high protein content on the evaluation of the product. The experimental online study was conducted with a group of 552 respondents. Four versions of product packaging were designed and tested. These packages differed in the presence or absence of the Nutrition Claim and the presence of the text indicating the vegetable or meat origin of the product. Data collected in the experiment were analyzed using a 2 \(\times\) 2 ANOVA. The study revealed that the source of protein (plant vs. animal) appears to shape consumers' perception of the product as more eco-friendly (F (1.518) = 38.681, \(p\) < 0.001, \(\eta^{2}\) = 0.069), natural (F (1.518) = 15.518, \(p\) < 0.001, \(\eta^{2}\) = 0.029), and healthy (F (1.518) = 25.761, \(p\) < 0.001, \(\eta^{2}\) = 0.047). Moreover, labelling including a \"high-protein\" Nutrition Claim increases the willingness to consume the product (F (1.518) = 4.531, \(p\) = 0.034, \(\eta^{2}\) = 0.009), and provides the impression of it being more eco-friendly (F (1.518) = 6.658, \(p\) = 0.01, \(\eta^{2}\) = 0.012) and of a higher quality (F (1.518) = 7.227, \(p\) = 0.007, \(\eta^{2}\) = 0.014). The obtained results may have theoretical significance by improving the understanding of factors determining the perception of food products and the use of meat substitutes. Keywords:consumer perception; meat alternatives; proteins; nutrition claims +
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convenience [11], environmental benefits [12; 13], and food appearance [14] have been identified as important barriers in the consumption of meat alternatives. Inconvenience-related barriers, such as difficulty in preparing tasty vegetarian food and limited options at restaurants, also discourage people from switching to plant-based options [15]. Another reason is well-established eating habits [16]. What is more, information barriers also prevent consumers from gaining knowledge on the benefits of plant-based diets [16]. Furthermore, many people believe that meat is an essential and irreplaceable source of energy, while a plant-based diet may be viewed as insufficiently nutritious [17]. Negative opinions of meat analogues are also visible in the case of plant origin foods, which are the most popular substitutes for meat. The reluctance of consumers to make this dietary change due to the pleasure derived from eating conventional meat, nutritional and sensory attractiveness, as well as the convenience that meat offers is among these barriers [2; 18]. Therefore, switching to a plant-based diet, and as such, to plant-based products, is generally considered unpopular [19]. The aim of this study is to define what is more important to consumers--the fact that the product contains a high level of protein, that it is a source of protein (meat vs. plants), or both. Understanding these relationships and, in particular, determining the meaning of the descriptions placed on the front-of-pack (FOP) label--referring to the protein source and its value as a kind of trigger affecting product evaluation, is the main contribution of this work. Therefore, the structure of the following part of this article is as follows. A literature review is shown in the subsequent part of the manuscript. Next, the research methods and results are presented. Finally, the discussion and contributions, including the strengths and weaknesses of this article, are provided. It is argued that there are many positive aspects connected with meat analogues such as ease of preparation, health benefits, and also palatability [20]. However, whether consumers are willing to buy a particular meat product or its alternative depends on many factors.