On May 2nd 2019 Beyond Meat, a firm specialized in plant-based hamburgers, had the strongest market debut at the American stock market this year. The shares went up 163% during the first day of trade. This signifies the tremendous public interest in plant-based alternatives for meat and dairy. This is great news since the environmental impact of meat and dairy products is high. We need to replace part of the proteins delivered by meat and dairy by plant-based protein products. We call this change process the protein shift or the transition to plant-based proteins. While the market for plant-based dairy and meat alternatives is growing fast, the total market share is still very small. In this research program we aim to contribute to the acceleration of plant-based proteins by focusing on four topics: First, we study the motives of consumers to make a dietary shift and implications for reframing strategies. Second, we recognize that replacing meat and dairy by plant-based alternatives may not be easy since meat and dairy are so deeply rooted in consumption practices. We use categorization theory to shed light on how meat and dairy alternatives are perceived by consumers and what the consequences are for adoption. Third, we zoom out and study the complete innovation system and analyze what elements of the system are driving and hampering the protein shift to take place. Fourth, we use a design perspective to examine the effects of various frames on strategies and system interventions employed to accelerate the transition.