Demand for plant-based foods still growing as market moves to more natural products
/The plant-based foods category took off prior to Covid and has since undergone considerable consolidation – shifting from a mainstream alternative focused on vegans and vegetarians, to a complementary meal type designed to appeal to flexitarian eaters. At the same time, we’ve seen chefs move away from manufactured plant-based proteins with artificial additives in favour of a return to wholefoods-based ingredient as a basis for their plant-based meals. Three of FSR’s consultant chefs tell us more.
PETER WRIGHT
FSR CONSULTING CHEF
“Plant-based protein is a necessary evil, in that we need to move to more plant-based eating for the sake of sustainability,” points out chef Peter Wright. “But in order for that to happen, plant-based meals need to be palatable. At the Paris Olympic Games athletes village they had included a high content of plant-based food on the menu but it turned out the athletes wouldn’t eat it – and because they hadn’t procured enough animal proteins like eggs, chicken and beef, they ran out of food! When the world’s elite athletes don’t want to eat the food, that tells you something – they are after all the trendsetters for what is the best fuel for your body.
“The problem has been that some of the plant-based proteins being produced were highly processed”
“The problem has been that some of the plant-based proteins being produced were highly processed – and if all you’re eating food for is the protein value, you may as well fortify a donut with protein! It’s well established that the more processed food we eat, the more we’re putting our bodies at risk of allergens – I’m not a scientist but I know the numbers and there’s a direct correlation.
“As a result, foodservice professionals are turning away from these products and back to natural vegetable protein products – they’re using fava beans, kidney beans, chickpeas; some of these are very fast growing and very high in protein. If you look at the range of protein powders available to bodybuilders, which is the other major market for protein, there’s a move away from products made with soy and whey to fast growing bean proteins. A young chef I know in Sydney does a range of amazing vegie sliders, burgers and falafels under the brand ‘Made by Kade’ – he fortifies them with beans and he recently showcased an all-natural vegie mince which makes a terrific base. That to me seems a much better approach than using E numbers in your plant-based proteins.”
Peter adds another innovation set to shake up the plant-based protein category is the rise of ‘cultivated meats’, that is meat which is produced in a lab. “I’ve been doing some tastings in Melbourne with a company called Magic Valley, who take stem cells from lamb, douse it with nutrients in a lamb and grow lamb mince. I think there will initially be reticence to this approach but it’s likely to be overcome by the price factor. It’s also an interesting question which will have to be addressed by those consumers who avoid eating animal protein for ethical reasons, because you’re not killing any animals to produce it. The figures I’ve seen suggest that this sort of cultivated meat product can be delivered to market at 50 per cent of the current price of mincemeat and I think that will really have an impact.
“This sort of food is still in the experimental phase, with a lot of ground to be worked through in terms of compliance, but it’s in the pipeline and scalability will not be difficult. So I think that’s an exciting project because it plays into both economics and the ethical/sustainability side. The fact is in the future we won’t have enough pasture land to sustain our current worldwide consumption of meat, and I think the trend will inevitably shift to alternatives. One thing I would say is to beware of gimmicks being marketed by big manufacturers that are trying to sell highly processed food, because it may be efficient to produce but it’s not good for you.”
Further rationalisation on the cards
ADAM MOORE
FSR CONSULTING CHEF
Chef Adam Moore describes the current state of play in the plant-based category this way: “I think people are calling for chefs to go back to natural ingredients, and so we’re now seeing plant-based proteins produced from wholefoods like mushrooms, eggplant and beans rather than artificial products. We had the problem of a whole lot of players jumping into the market early on and flooding us with imports, but now we’ve got consolidation because consumers are saying ‘I don’t want this in my diet’ and chefs are saying ‘I don’t want to use this product because I don’t know what’s in it’. A lot of the products didn’t live up to their promise in terms of both flavour and texture, and they’ve gone by the wayside. The ones that have been left standing post-consolidation are the ones who were the quality products to begin with.
“I do think there is a desire and a need for plant-based – people want it but they don’t want to have to compromise on taste and quality. We are now seeing the rise of hybrid products which include some plant-based protein but also some meat components and I think that’s going to become a category of its own.
“Sustainability is going to come to the fore and plant-based is going to have to stand its ground”
“So I think there will be further rationalisation, similar to what happened with the plant-based milk category some 15 years ago – they got rid of all the inferior products and now that category holds a really strong footprint in the retail space because they’re good products. Looking ahead, when we reach the year 2050 or so sustainability is going to come to the fore more than ever and plant-based is going to have to stand its ground – I don’t think it’s going to replace meat but it’s certainly going to be a key part of our food system. People will embrace it and it will evolve from there – there’s a lot of positive stuff happening at the moment and I think over the five years it will become a cornerstone of the milk, like gluten free and plant-based milks.”
Flexitarians driving the demand
Gary JOhnson
FSR CONSUTING CHEF
Chef Gary Johnson says the growth in the category will be led by flexitarian dining as opposed to demand for vegetarian/vegan meals. “I actually prefer to use the word omnivores than flexitarians – I believe they will drive the growth. The world is heading towards a population of 10 billion so there’s no question we will need alternative protein sources, but they have to be healthy and nutritional and we have to know what we’re eating. So I think the category is now going more momentum again but it’s on the back of flexitarians.
“I see a lot more plant-based cheese on pizzas, and whipped coconut cream in place of dairy cream. You’ve still got the joy of eating that meal, it just happens to be a plant-based one. A vegan brownie can be date-based and gluten free as well as vegan – it’s tender, it's moist and it’s delicious. You can serve it with some vegan chocolate on the side and enjoy it just as much as you would if contained dairy, and you don’t even have to call it out as such on the menu descriptor, you can just add a subtle code.
Gary believes the market share for plant-based will continue to grow again exponentially, driven by consumer trends such as health and wellness. He emphasises: “Manufacturers have to be transparent about what they’re doing to continue to grow trust with consumers, and there are environmental and ethical concerns as well. We know consumers don’t want GMO food so there are a few rules to put around this – but there’s no question the flexitarian diet’s going to become more desirable for a lot of people. It’s a cultural shift that we’re seeing – more acceptance of alternatives to animal protein-based meals by the mainstream. It used to be that people would have a little snigger on the side at someone choosing an alternative to animal protein, and when you had a barbie you’d ask them to bring their own because the rest of us were having lamb chops – that’s no longer the case.
“Getting more nutritional education into our communities is going to help people make good choices”
“We're also seeing chefs drawing a lot more on indigenous knowledge, such as using native Australian ingredients which after all are our original plant based foods. They offer unique flavours and nutritional benefits as well – a friend of mine is a first nations chef and he told me there are about 16 different types of wattleseeds in Australia, which I had no idea about, depending on the region stretching from NT to SA, so there is a lot to learn.
“And in terms of cost and accessibility, a lot of plant based ingredients are not only becoming more common but more affordable as well, so introducing them into the diet helps you remain healthy as well as make ends meet. Getting more nutritional education into our communities is going to help people make good choices in terms of how to make these meals and support a healthier diet. So I think the category is going to see continued growth over the next few years with more products, more options and more innovations.”
