Not just taste: consumer trends in plant-based products

The market of plant-based products is constantly expanding, and thanks to the increasing demand of consumers, the range of plant-based products is becoming more and more diversified. In supermarkets you can now find many plant-based products, from the most common vegetable milk to meat, cheese, yogurt and drinks.

According to Mintel’s report called “Patent insights: next-gen plant protein ingredients”, in the European Union, 37% of food products such as pasta, bakery products, sauces and more, developed and available in 2019 contained plant proteins, as did 27% of beverages, such as milk and energy drinks. A similar scenario can also be observed in Asia Pacific, with 31% of foods containing plant proteins and 31% of beverages with plant proteins in 2019.

To meet consumer demand, many companies are increasingly looking to improve their plant-based product line, exploring new protein sources, such as peas, legumes, potatoes and rapeseed, and developing new technologies to improve taste and texture.

But what do consumers look for in plant-based products?

• TASTE and TEXTURE: these are certainly some of the most important requirements to be considered in the production of a new vegetable product. It is not always necessary for a vegetable product to have a similar taste to the animal product it is replacing. For example, there are many types of plant-based milk with a very different taste from cow’s milk. These are plant-based products that have been on the market for many years, and are now accepted by consumers as solid alternatives. However, when replacing meat, consumers prefer plant-based products that more closely mimic their animal counterpart. For example, according to a Mintel analysis, 54% of Americans surveyed would like meat substitutes to mimic all of the characteristics of animal meat, particularly its flavor and texture.
• COST: Plant-based products generally are still expensive, and this can prevent many customers from purchasing. The Mintel report shows that about 50% of interviewees in US, Canada and China believe plant-based products are too expensive, especially when compared to animal products.
• CLEAN LABEL: another important feature growing among consumers is the demand for clearer and more transparent labeling. According to the report, in fact, one of the main critical points for the purchase of meat substitutes is that they are too processed, as claimed by 66% of the interviewees. Given the complex processes and numerous ingredients involved in their production, some plant-based products often have large labels full of ingredients that can discourage consumers from buying. To solve this problem, many companies are trying to reduce the amount of ingredients in their products to make them more appealing to consumers.

In this context, one of the goals of the Farm to Fork strategy developed by the European Union is to succeed in adopting a standard labeling at European level, to create a system that allows anyone to fully understand the content of the products, preventing the risk of misleading or too complex labels.

Challenges in plant-based products

Meeting consumer demands can be a real challenge in the plant-based foods industry. In fact, producers are expected to create tasty products with a good texture, using good quality vegetable proteins and providing adequate nutritional values. In addition, products should have a clean label with few ingredients, while keeping the cost not too high, making the purchase clearer and more accessible to most consumers.

To learn more about the challenges of this market and consumer trends, don’t miss the tips  from Paul Hart, expert plant-based consultant at Elm Lea Partner’s Ltd.

If you are looking for the ideal plant-based protein ingredient for your formulation, explore Protilla Finder, the digital tool to help you match the functional properties of plant-based ingredients to their perfect application.