Currently browsing posts about: Plant-based

Here’s a short collection of recent items on the plant-based food market.

• Plant-based watch: What’s the latest on plant-based in food and beverages: The plant-based industry has faced some serious difficulties in recent years. So, what’s next for animal-free foods and beverages. We bring you the latest…… Read mor

Plant-based products

• Is duckweed the next miracle plant protein?  Duckweed is far more than just a pond-dwelling plant. It’s a nutrient-dense, easy-to-produce alternative protein…. Read more
• Vegconomist Steakholder Foods advances 3D-printed eel with $250,000 grant installment:  Steakholder Foods has received a third payment of $250,000 from the Singapore-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation, bringing the total to $740,000 of a $1 million grant. This funding supports their development of 3D-printed plant-based eel, with recent advancements enhancing flavor and texture.Read More
• PPTI News Planteneers develops plant-based steak, bacon & ham: Plant-based specialist Planteneers and filling and portioning system manufacturer Handtmann have been collaborating to enable customers to offer plant-based steaks or filet strips with fine marbling and an authentic fibrous structure. The product range has now been expanded to include steak varieties, bacon, cooked ham, and carpaccio. Read More

Research

• Plant-based diet linked to good gut health: Could two of the biggest trends in the food and beverage sector be powerful allies? And what opportunities could this create for food and beverage manufacturers?… Read more
• ProVeg International’s latest research assessed 422 plant-based meat and 251 plant-based milk alternatives across 11 countries and spanning four continents. It found that most plant-based products outperformed their animal-based counterparts in terms of environmental impact, using less land and water while generating fewer greenhouse gas emissions.  Nutritionally, plant-based meat substitutes were found to contain less saturated fat and more fiber than traditional meats. However, salt content remains a concern…inconsistent fortification and high salt and sugar levels remain challenges for the industry.
• A multicriteria analysis of meat and milk alternatives from nutritional, health, environmental, and cost perspectives (PNAS 121 (50) e2319010121.  https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2319010121): Unprocessed plant-based foods such as peas, soybeans, and beans performed best in our assessment across all domains. In comparison, processed plant-based products such as veggie burgers, traditional meat replacements such as tempeh, and plant milks were associated with less climate benefits and greater costs than unprocessed foods but still offered substantial environmental, health, and nutritional benefits compared to animal products.

Comment: There is clearly a market for such products and they certainly seem to provide environmental advantages.  Whether their taste and texture shortcomings will allow the market to expand significantly remains to be seen.

USDA and HHS have announced an update on the dietary guidelines process.

A quick recap: The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee released its report last year.  The agencies are responsible for writing the actual guidelines, based on that report or not.

The USDA Secretary, Brooke Rollins, writes:

Secretary [of HHS] Kennedy and I have a powerful, complementary role in this, and it starts with updating federal dietary guidance. We will make certain the 2025-2030 Guidelines are based on sound science, not political science. Gone are the days where leftist ideologies guide public policy.”

Leftist ideologies?  She has to be kidding.  Since when did leftist ideologies influence the dietary guidelines?

Oh.  Wait.  Silly me.  I get it.  She means meat. 

Plant-based = leftist ideology.

You don’t believe me?  See Nina Teicholz’s editorial in the Wall Street Journal:  Meat will make America Healthy Again.

Ms. Rollins and Mr. Kennedy should reject suggestions from an expert committee that the 2025-30 federal guidelines place an even greater emphasis on plant-based proteins and that they recommend “reducing intakes of red and processed meats.” As the Agriculture Department found in 2010, there is either “no relationship” or a “limited inconsistent” relationship between any protein type and chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Protein, sure.  But meat?  Consistent evidence for years indicates that people in industrialized countries would be healthier eating less meat and more plants.  Less does not necessarily mean none; it means less than currently consumed and a lot less in some cases.

If USDA and HHS are serious about Making Americans Healthier Again, they will revise the Dietary Guidelines according to the science.  In my view, that means advising eating less of ultra-processed foods, as well as meat.

Plant-Based Meat Analogs and Their Effects on Cardiometabolic Health: An 8-Week Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Plant-Based Meat Analogs With Their Corresponding Animal-Based Foods. Toh DWK, Fu AS, Mehta KA, Lam NYL, Haldar S, Henry CJ. Am J Clin Nutr. 2024 Jun;119(6):1405-1416. doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.04.006. Epub 2024 Apr 8.

Erratum in: Am J Clin Nutr. 2024 Aug;120(2):459. doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.06.012.

This study compared effects on cardiometabolic health among people eating meat or plan-based alternatives for 8 weeks.

Conclusion: An 8-wk PBMA (plant-based) diet did not show widespread cardiometabolic health benefits compared with a corresponding meat based diet.

Funding: This study was supported by Pinduoduo Incorporated (HongKong Walnut Street Limited). Pinduoduo Incorporated had no role in study design, study conduct, laboratory analyses, data collection, management and interpretation or the writing, reviewing and approval of the manuscript.

Comment

This study was sent to me by a reader, who viewed it as a rare example of an industry-funded study with results unfavorable to the sponsor’s interests.  He thought the “Walnut” in the company’s name indicated a plant-based bias.

I wasn’t so sure and wondered what Pinduoduo did, exactly.

According to Wikipedia, “Pinduoduo Inc. (Chinese: 拼多多; Pinyin: Pīn duōduō) is a Chinese online retailer with a focus on the traditional agriculture industry. The business is the largest product of PDD Holdings, which also owns the online marketplace Temu.”

But it gets even better.  The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a correction to the paper:

The original funding statement was insufficiently elaborated and has been revised for greater clarity: Christiani Jeyakumar Henry [the senior investigator on this study] reports partial financial support provided by Pinduoduo Incorporated (HongKong Walnut Street Limited) which is an agricultural research firm.

This, then, is a standard example of an industry-funded—and conducted—study producing just the results wanted.  Another example of marketing research, alas.

This seems to be a slow news week so I’m going to get caught up on research papers I think worth reading.

I first heard about this study from this video, from Dr. Greger’s newsletter announcement (I subscribe).

Here’s the study: Ornish D, et al.  Effects of intensive lifestyle changes on the progression of mild cognitive impairment or early dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease: a randomized, controlled clinical trial.  Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy volume 16, Article number: 122 (2024).  https://alzres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13195-024-01482-z.

It put 50 or so people in their 70s or older on “an intensive multidomain lifestyle intervention compared to a wait-list usual care control group” for 20 weeks.

People on the lifestyle intervention—diet, exercise, stress management, group support—did better.

The first author, Dean Ornish, runs a lifestyle modification program.

Comment: Wouldn’t this be terrific!  At the very least it is further evidence for the health benefits of a largely (not necessarily exclusively) plant-based diet.  Eating plant foods is strongly associated with prevention of any number of undesirable conditions.  The Alzheimer’s Association already recommends the DASH or Mediterranean diet patterns; both are plant based.

Eat your veggies.  Do so cannot hurt and might help—a lot.

The headline got my attention: New study finds meat eaters are more willing to try plant-based products when packaged in red.

This e-mailed press release came from ProVeg International, a German “food awareness organisation with the mission to replace 50% of animal products globally with plant-based and cultivated foods by 2040.”

A groundbreaking new report released by ProVeg International, titled, “The Power of Colour: Nudging Consumers Toward Plant-Based Meat Consumption,” reveals key insights into the hidden influence of colour on people’s perceptions of a plant-based product’s flavour and appeal. Remarkably, simply using appealing colours in product packaging has the power to reshape consumer behaviour and prompt a shift toward plant-based meat.

Survey participants associated red with good taste,  green with health and eco-friendliness, and blue (their favorite color) with budget consciousness, but also quality.

Food companies go to a lot of trouble to encourage sales.  I knew that package color and design influence sales, but had never seen the research.

In looking at this report, I’m not sure how ProVeg came to these conclusions (this graph shows the most profound differences), but it sure is interesting to see how these things are done.   Enjoy!

It continues to be hard to keep up with what’s happening with plant-based food alternatives.  They have their fans, but also detractors.  Much depends on sales trends and their consistency.  I’m keeping on eye on this one.

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY

• Beyond meat and dairy analogues: What can plant-based protein do?  Plant-based protein isn’t just about meat and dairy analogues. At Food Ingredients Europe in Frankfurt last month, FoodNavigator spoke to companies doing a range of things with alternative proteins outside of simply adding them to plant-based burgers, sausages, milk and cheese…. Read more
• Processed plant-based meat: Clearer communication on the horizon, predict experts: European producers in 2024 will focus on informing consumers about processed and ultra-processed foods and drinks, potentially lowering content in formulations to encourage plant-based meat or dairy alternatives uptake…. Read more
• Business Wire: Meati Foods now available in select U.S. Target stores: Meati Foods announced a significant retail expansion of its Eat Meati line of products in Target stores across the United States. Meati Foods aims to be in 8,000 retail doors by summer 2024, nearly tripling its current store count of 3,000. Read More
• Time to ditch the plant-based copycats?  Almost a third of UK adults don’t want plant-based food that resembles their animal counterparts, finds research commissioned by law firm Browne Jacobson…. Read more
• Can Oatly reinvigorate slowing oatmilk category sales with launch unsweetened, clean-label options?  Oatmilk pioneer Oatly’s new Unsweetened Oatmilk and Super Basic Oatmilk, which launched this week, respond to rising consumer concerns about plant-based milks, including their nutritional value and, for some, long lists of unfamiliar ingredients, which are taking a toll on the overall category’s sales and volumes…. Read more

NEW PRODUCTS AND INGREDIENTS

• A plant-based protein mimicking the taste profile of whey is ‘gamechanger’ for protein market:  Great tasting, high digestibility and allergen-free – how a plant-based protein powder is making waves in the protein market in Europe…. Read more  [Note: this one is a paid ad].
• Modern Plant Based Foods taps into caviar craze:  The Canadian company’s Vegan Kaviar line aims to fill a gap in the market with a more affordable, plant-based option. 

I am endlessly fascinated by the plant-based industry producing products to substitute for animal foods.  Here are a few samples of what’s happening in this area.

Domestic

• Dairy and plant-based organizations go head-to-head over FDA’s plant-based milk labeling guidance:  More than 900 comments have been submitted to the FDA over its proposed labeling guidance for plant-based milk alternatives. From Danone North America to the Plant Based Foods Association, we round up some of the key arguments from both sides…. Read more
• ‘It is crucial for consumer acceptance’: Replacing animal fats in plant-based food:  While with any food, ‘taste is king,’ texture is also extremely important, especially in products aiming to mimic meat. For optimal texture, many manufacturers argue, animal fats, which contribute significantly to the texture of real meat, must be replicated for plant-based meat…. Read more
• Plant-based products and health: Study reveals nutritional shortfalls, but saturated fat benefits:  The nutritional value of plant-based meats is limited by lack of key micronutrients, although they contain significantly less saturated fat, indicates an assessment of products on the Hong Kong market…. Read more
• Start-up’s chickpea-based protein isolate boosts protein content in dairy-free cheese:  Israel-headquartered plant-based ingredients start-up ChickP has developed a chickpea-based protein isolate that can be incorporated into a range of cheese substitutes…. Read more
• Beyond Meat slashes workforce as business model is under fire:  The plant-based giant continues to face headwinds as consumers prioritize affordability.

International

• Denmark unveils the ‘world’s first’ action plan for plant-based foods: Eighteen months after the Agreement on the green transformation of Danish agriculture was approved by the Danish Parliament, Food Minister Jacob Jensen has launched the government’s new action plan for plant-based foods…. Read more  
• Green Queen: South Korea Unveils National Plan to Promote Plant-Based Food Industry:  South Korea becomes the second nation to announce a national plan dedicated to boosting local plant-based food production and consumption. Read More
• Start-up’s chickpea-based protein isolate boosts protein content in dairy-free cheese: Israel-headquartered plant-based ingredients start-up ChickP has developed a chickpea-based protein isolate that can be incorporated into a range of cheese substitutes…. Read more
• Clean and clear: China’s Haofood optimistic about plant-based growth despite dwindling hype:  China-based clean label brand Haofood is putting extra efforts into innovation while maintaining focus on taste and affordability to boost consumer adoption of plant-based diets. Read more

Conclusions and Relevance  In this randomized clinical trial, we observed cardiometabolic advantages for the healthy vegan vs the healthy omnivorous diet among healthy, adult identical twins. Clinicians may consider recommending plant-based diets to reduce cardiometabolic risk factors, as well as aligning with environmental benefits.

The study has its share of detractors, American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), for example: Stanford Medicine Releases Confirmation Bias Study; Media Takes The Bait.  Its chief criticisms

• The improvements were in biomarkers, not health.
• Both diets were healthy,
• Obviously, diets without cholesterol will reduce cholesterol.
• Vitamin B12 levels were ldeficient on the vegan diet.

Comment: The ACSH is an industry-funded front group.  Low B12 is an easy problem to solve, and vegans, who by definition eat no foods of animal origin, have to make sure they complensate for its absence.

The twin idea is clever and adorable—and the reason for the press attention and for the Netflix documentary.  The study shows that vegan diets improve cardiovascular risk biomarkers in healthy people.  Why not?  This is further evidence for the benefits of largely plant-based diets.