Plant-based diets, once considered the lifestyle choice of a handful of people, have gained popularity over the past two decades, making them a firmly popularized option.
Global knowledge and business intelligence platform, Statista, examined 18 of the EU’s 27 member states and found that there were around 6. 62 million vegans in 2023, with that number expected to reach around 8. 25 million by 2033. The numbers appear to be relatively higher in the UK, where an estimated 2. 5 million Britons adopt a plant-based lifestyle.
There are reasons cited by consumers to move away from animal proteins, with the prevention of animal cruelty being the main argument.
“Preventing animal exploitation is the only explanation for going vegan, but for many, it remains the key to their resolve to go vegan and remain vegan,” said a spokesperson for the Vegan Society.
Another major influence on people’s decision to adopt a vegan or plant-based diet is environmental protection.
“The production of meat and other animal products places a heavy burden on the environment. The gigantic amount of cereals needed for meat production is a major contributor to deforestation, habitat loss and species extinction. In Brazil alone, the area of 5. 6 million acres is being used to grow soybeans for animals in Europe,” added the spokesperson for the Vegan Society.
“People simply want to be very aware of the effect of Western nutrition on the environment,” says Labour MP Kerry McCarthy. “Some people go vegan for fitness reasons, others for animal welfare reasons, but more and more people are starting to take an interest in the effect of industrialized agriculture and the fact that we just can’t maintain Western-style nutrition. The world’s population is expected to grow from the current 6. 7 billion to 9 billion by 2050 and even if we don’t have the degrees of population expansion, even if the expansion stays at the existing degrees, it is estimated that if we all followed Western-style nutrition, we would want 3 Earth-sized planets to sustain us.
The other major explanation for why consumers embrace plant-based nutrition is fitness. Plant-based proteins have been linked to a multitude of fitness benefits, adding weight loss and chronic disease prevention in women.
Many plant-based ingredients, such as nuts, seeds, and legumes, are naturally healthy; However, some food brands are now convinced that animal proteins of their choice of plant are also a healthy choice.
“We have set ourselves the ambition to be larger than the equivalent dairy product in terms of saturated and trans fats. “
“We’ve explained a style of nutrition benchmarking, based on the best available science and official nutritional recommendations,” Paul Whitehouse, director of clinical affairs at Upfield, a plant-based company, told FoodNavigator at the recent Positive Nutrition Summit. By focusing on our core category of plant-based butters and spreads, we have set ourselves the ambition to be larger than the equivalent dairy product in terms of saturated and trans fats. “
Although the plant-based trend has grown over the past decade, most people continue to embrace animal-based foods. Some, if not most, do so because they prefer the taste and texture of those products. However, some consumers are reluctant to make this transfer for other reasons.
The first of these is cost. Plant-based alternatives are reputed to be more expensive than animal-based alternatives, and in many cases, this reputation is justified. So why this and what are brands doing to replace it?
“Right now, food formula encourages traditional livestock and dairy production through a variety of subsidies, fiscal measures such as VAT, public procurement policies, and even the appellations and naming regulations that apply to products in this category can be very restrictive,” Upfield said. White House. ” If we think about subsidies, the European Union spends around €28 billion a year, mainly on the livestock industry, and plant manufacturers receive only a very small share. It’s anti-competitive.
Also, many plant-based corporations are start-ups as it is still a new and emerging market, which brings with it all the demanding prices and situations related to being a start-up company. Where giant corporations already have established infrastructure, new corporations want to invest in infrastructure. This charge is inevitably passed on to the consumer. However, it will most likely be replaced over time as the industry matures.
The taste and texture of plant-based proteins have also proved challenging and deterred some consumers, especially in fortified products, as Julia Besselink, a meat and dairy nutritionist at DSM-Firmenich, told FoodNavigator.
“The addition of nutrients and minerals has little to no sensory effect on selected dairy products. Still, omega-3s can be a bit trickier because they contain fatty acids that are prone to oxidation and can alter or alter flavors. .
When it comes to taste and texture, “everything counts,” says Camilla Barnard, co-founder and director of the Rude Health plant-based dairy logo. “You may have the most nutritious food or drink in the world, but what if?Really, what’s the point? Nutrition is surely crucial, but there’s so much more to eat.
“You may have the most nutritious food or drink in the world, but what if it tastes awful?What’s really the point?”
Many consumers associate plant-based proteins with ultra-processing, which can be perceived negatively. However, it seems that despite this association, consumers do not prioritize this aspect over taste and texture.
“When other people are asked what the maximum price is for plant-based products, things like taste, texture and other sensory aspects come to mind,” added Robin Simsa, CEO and co-founder of Revo Foods.
When it comes to the plant-based industry, it’s all about “reinvention,” says Emmy Nitert van Schijndel, director of business development at DSM-Firmenich. “I think we’ve come a long way in terms of taste and texture, so we’ll also be smart because then other people will come back. But we’re seeing more and more consumers actively seek out products with smart nutrition, whether they’re high in protein, low fat, low in salt, or that include micronutrients.
From a price perspective, price parity is beginning to be achieved in some regions. The Netherlands is one such country that has narrowed the price gap between meat and select meat in recent years. Technological inventions are also advancing to improve the taste and texture of meat. Meatless aisle. Revo Foods has been using 3D printing technology to help recreate the mouthfeel of salmon, but with plants and fungi.
The industry is “maturing a lot more now,” says Revo Foods’ Simsa, but it has a persistent “communication problem” that it wants to address. There are a lot of pessimistic voices, but in reality, what has been achieved in the plant box is incredible. “
Did you miss a component of FoodNavigator’s 2024 Positive Nutrition Digital Summit?Don’t worry, you can still access all of our sessions and documents, which will be available for the next 90 days. Click here to sign up for free.
More Promotional Features