NEW YORK — It’s not vegan, it’s “plant-based.” So will carnivores bite?

As companies try to cater to Americans’ interest in lighter eating, the term “plant-based” is replacing “vegan” and “vegetarian” on some foods. The worry is that the v-words might have unappetizing or polarizing associations.

Impossible Foods, which makes a meatless patty that’s supposed to taste like meat, even warns restaurants not to use those words when describing its burger on menus.

“For many people, their notion of a vegan is someone who’s wagging a finger at them if they eat any animal products. I’m vegan. But for a lot of people that term — it’s almost like a cult,” says Pat Brown, CEO of Impossible Foods, whose burger is served in about 3,000 locations.

The trendier sounding “plant-based” may appeal to a broader market, since “vegan” or “vegetarian” could alienate those who don’t adhere strictly to those diets. “Plant-based” may also distance products from a perception of vegan and vegetarian food as bland.

Since “vegan” is used to convey what’s not in a product, it can be associated with deprivation, says Michele Simon, executive director of the Plant Based Food Association, an industry group founded in 2016. “Plant-based,” she says, has a more positive connotation because it explains what is in a food.