“Diversity comes to mind” when considering the next generation of plant-based options, Benjamin Davis, VP of content at Plant Based World Expo, told SFA News Daily during last week's event. “When you bring in people from all different backgrounds and cultures, the natural result is going to be a really diverse and eclectic array of options to choose from.”
He shared that this year’s offerings diverged from the past, in that they more fervently celebrated global inspiration—both culinarily and geographically. The international influence at Plant Based World Expo was larger than that of previous shows, with six companies representing Denmark, and many others from Italy, Brazil, East Asia, and other global markets.
“2021 was the year of the vegan chicken nugget… the year before, the pea protein burger," he said. There has been a history of certain plant-based trends dominating the stage, and focusing on soy, wheat, and pea as plant-based alternative mainstays. This year, however, brought novel ingredients into the fold: mushrooms and fungi, jackfruit, algae, chia seeds, konjac, and more.
“Mushrooms are having their day,” said Jay Margolis, CEO of SPINS, who sat on a panel at the event. The umami flavors of mushrooms and fungi like mycelium, are being harnessed in products to mimic the flavors of meat-based counterparts. Examples include mycelium bacon products from MyForest Foods and MyBacon, as well as products that do not try to mimic an animal-based offering, like Popadelics Crunchy Mushroom Chips.
Davis said that the next wave of plant-based will be characterized by, “a move further away from ‘it needs to be identical to meat.’ It can still be meaty, people still like something that has a meatiness to it, it just doesn’t need to taste like meat.” Nevertheless, Davis asserted that there will still be a place in the market for meat alternatives that boast taste parity.
Freedom from the constraint of mimicking a meat product may also help to foster the success of plant-based products because it will allow makers to focus on creating a good-tasting product that is beneficial to one’s health and the environment without having to go toe-to-toe with an animal-based equivalent. This may have contributed to the success of plant-based milks and creamers that emulate the function of dairy milk but provide a breadth of flavors that dairy cannot.
“The direction will go towards: 'what ingredients can we use around us that are already functional and minimally processed?'” said Davis. Clean ingredients in plant-based products have become more common as consumers critique the first wave of popular plant-based meats from companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat that were filled with unfamiliar ingredients.
“The plant-based halo is no longer automatic,” but needs to be proven with ingredients, said Erin Harper, director of merchandising at Whole Foods Market, during an education session about merchandising best practices.
Many brands presented clean-label, minimal-ingredient products to differentiate themselves both from other plant-based offerings and the rest of their category. Gigantic! candy and chocolate bars and Naturli’ Plant Butter, for example, tout straightforward ingredient lists. Additionally, brands like Fabulous Faba, Horta, and Onset Worldwide seek to sell high-quality plant-based ingredients to other manufacturers or foodservice to promote clean labels across the industry.
The next generation of plant-based “involves collaboration. It’s less about ‘my brand becoming a big brand that spreads around the world,’” said David. “Phase two is about practicality. It’s about the right ingredients that customers actually want. It’s about making it actually taste good.”
Collaboration is seen in the industry through many forms: through brands coming together to exchange techniques and ideas that can further the industry, as with the recently founded Precision Fermentation Alliance, but also through partnerships with other brands or foodservice to help innovate products and familiarize consumers to plant-based foods through multiple channels.
Jinka Foods co-founder Alberta Liao told SFA News Daily that she was trying to get her plant-based calamari derived from chia seeds into foodservice through cruise lines. Sorosh Tavakoli, CEO of Stockeld Creamery, a maker of plant-based cream cheese, emphasized the importance of getting onto menus at New York City's iconic bagel shops, which allow customers to experiment with the product, and evaluate for themselves its validity as either an animal-based substitute or flavorful addition.
Related: Fostering Plant-Based, Retail Collaboration; Panelists: Plant-Based Future Depends on Clear Messaging
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