Plant-based and lab-grown meat alternatives continue to grab headlines and rake in investors. But the reality is, when given the choice, American consumers will buy real meat almost every time.

“These products (plant-based meat alternatives) represent far less than 1% of meat sales at grocery stores,” said Jayson Lusk, head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University. “These alternatives are still priced at a premium to traditional (meat) products, so even if you drop the price 20%, it’s still the case that it’s priced (higher) above (meat) products.”

Lusk appeared on the March 8 edition of "The Spokesman Speaks" podcast to update listeners on the status of the alternatives-to-meat...