Nutritional demands: Friend or foe amid plant-based space plateau?

10 Aug 2022 --- Manufacturers and consumers alike are increasingly eyeing the nutritional aspect of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, as concerns over the planet and their diet are becoming all the more important. Industry is spearheading innovation to match the demands and get ahead of the competition, all the while meeting taste and texture requirements.

“There are three key trends driving the plant-based category – taste, health and nutrition, and sustainability. Consumers are driven to plant-based foods as they associate these products with being natural and therefore, healthy. If you lose in this space, you lose plant-based consumers,” Nicola Weldon, strategy director for Plant-Based, Kerry Europe, tells NutritionInsight.

The plant-based category growth is largely driven by flexitarian consumers, Weldon explains. Innovation to meet consumer expectations is key, she adds, with industry focusing on delivering nutrition expectations along with clean and simple ingredients. 

“People want products that not only benefit themselves, but also their communities and the planet. With that, the key factors motivating global plant consumers – defined as vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians – to select more plant-based options are perceived environmental and nutritional attributes,” underscores Jacquelyn Schuh, global marketing director, Protein Nutrition Solutions, ADM.

“Shared Planet” was Innova Market Insights’ top ten trend for 2022, noting how consumers are more ethically and environmentally conscious, with planetary concerns outstriping personal health when it comes to consumers’ food priorities.

Consumers are increasingly driven by their interest in planetary health. Rethinking nutrition
The market has a variety of products derived from soy, peas, beans, wheat, nuts, seeds and oats. 

New protein sources are still being explored while also optimizing the process used to make the current plant-based offerings in the marketplace, chef Mike Haracz, corporate chef development lead, North America – Food Ingredients for Foodology by Univar Solutions, tells NutritionInsight.

“As the quality, nutrition, (environmental) sustainability, and awareness of these products continue to meet and exceed the standards set by the consumer, it will drive increased sales and continue to influence consumers to incorporate plant-based proteins into their diet while introducing new processes like fermentation and cellular agriculture for ingredient innovation.”

Experimenting with these demands, researchers are also experimenting with 3D printed protein, as a nutritious solution to growing population and climate concerns.

For US consumers specifically, protein content is a key driver as it is a major deciding factor when choosing plant-based offerings, he adds. Although products from animals still dominate the food landscape, the popularity of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives is growing fast. 

“These items are pressing ahead towards the mainstream as they improve flavor, appearance, texture, nutrition and environmental impact. A variety of consumers are rethinking their approach to nutrition in favor of more plants and less meat and animal products.”

Ingredient diversity
A key challenge for industry is replicating the nutritional values of meat and dairy, Natalie Sheil, European category manager at Synergy Flavours, explains to NutritionInsight.

“Meat and dairy products are naturally filled with important vitamins and minerals which are essential for human health, such as iron and vitamin B12. This means that there is a key opportunity for manufacturers to ensure the nutritional value of traditional meat and dairy products is replicated across plant-based alternatives.”

“Until this is achieved, many flexitarian consumers will continue to consume both meat and dairy alongside plant-based alternatives, to help ensure they are maintaining vitamin and mineral intake through their diet.”

Researchers have warned of a “quiet epidemic” surrounding vitamin B12 deficiency, which is common in people following plant-based diets. Last year, UK researchers created a calculator touted to improve the biomanufacturing of vitamin B12, described as the most expensive vitamin on the market. 

According to Schuh, while nutrition might drive consumers toward alternative meat and dairy products, taste and texture must not be overlooked. Globally, more than half of global plant consumers report that both nutrition and taste are equally important, she adds.

“A variety of functional ingredients such as methylcellulose, carrageenan and fat mimics can be used to better replicate the mouthfeel, overall flavor, visual appearance, and nutritional value of plant-based products, which are also seeing great advancements in their ability to deliver what customers are looking for,” Haracz concludes. 

By Andria Kades