[fudgefactorfive]

I feel the issue with the meat alternatives has been the idea that Vegetarians and Vegans are growing in number and most people don't prepare their own food.

Couple that with some indications that in the western world both Vegans and Vegetarianisms seem to have more disposable income [0] and you get people with business backgrounds naturally pricing the products higher.

Also from a social perspective in the west, people will pay a premium to appear to be making "healthier" or "ethical" purchases.

0: A study on self-reported eating habits with some interesting citations https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5622783/