• The recent trend leads consumers to turn to plant-based alternatives.
Recent studies show that sustainability and health concerns have changed consumer behavior, with them increasingly choosing plant-based alternatives to conventional products.
However, the taste experience of products made from alternative ingredients to those of animal origin continues to be perceived as deficient, shows a study carried out by Kerry Group, the ingredient manufacturing company. The research divided consumers into three broad categories: flexitarians, vegans and vegetarians.
The study revealed that flexitarians, the key consumer group driving the rise in popularity of plant-based products, are more critical than vegan and vegetarian consumers when it comes to taste.
Plant-based products: healthy and ecological
Some consumers say they choose plant-based products because they consider them healthier, while most of them base their choice on ecological considerations. But even if sustainability is the determining factor for choosing plant-based products, consumers are not willing to compromise on taste and are looking for products that are as close as possible to the taste experience of those with animal ingredients.
Flexitarianism is a diet, or rather a way of life, that involves flexibility in the consumption of foods of animal origin. This does not mean eliminating it from the diet, but reducing the consumption of meat, fish and other animal products. It is believed that such a choice could be the solution to limiting global warming.
consumer flexitarian joins the group of consumers who are actively trying to reduce their consumption of meat and dairy, thus driving the growth of the plant-based food sector worldwide. However, because he still consumes meat and dairy products, his expectations of the taste of plant-based products are driven by these experiences, and he is more critical of the plant-based products currently available on the market.
Flexitarian – more critical of plant-based products
For plant-based foods, ensuring great taste can be a challenge for raw material producers, who are challenged to develop and deliver innovative and sustainable nutritional solutions for consumers around the world.
Ensuring a great taste experience – acquired through taste, appearance, texture – is extremely complex, and in the case of plant-based foods it is even more difficult because the bar is set high, with meat, eggs and dairy products representing the tipping point. reference.
At the same time, demand for new plant-based foods shows no signs of slowing down. Consumers increasingly expect alternatives to meat, eggs and dairy products, which has accelerated innovation in the category, creating a diverse market with a diverse range of products to choose from.
Food technology is advancing rapidly to keep pace with the market, offering new solutions in terms of taste, texture and nutrition. With 10 billion people to sustainably feed by 2050, the transition to plant-based products is just beginning.
Delivering great taste, along with improved nutrition and evidence of sustainability, will be key to success for this product category. For this reason, producers of both raw materials and finished products are in a continuous process of developing new alternative products, experimenting and innovating to meet consumer demands with healthy, nutritious, sustainable and plant-based products.
Article written by Gabriela Dan, Editor of Arta Albă
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