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Blue diamond (purple) | Jan25
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Melanie Luangrath, director of new business development, Plant-Based Platform at DSM-Firmenich, talks claims, costs and ‘climavores’ as today’s food market sees the rise of a new consumer category. Here she explores how the plant-based category can satisfy the next wave of environmentally-conscious shoppers while keeping nutrition and eating experience in mind.


Industry commentators have recently coined the word ‘climavore’ to put a concrete label on the growing cohort of shoppers who explicitly say sustainability is a major factor in their food choices. A sea of competing and sometimes contradictory claims have emerged in recent years all vying to attract this new breed of conscious consumer. In Europe alone, there are at least 230 separate ‘sustainable’ product labels – but a staggering 53.3% of these were deemed misleading by the European Commission, with a further 40% being completely unsubstantiated.

Plant-based proteins are the answer to this dilemma for the many who perceive them as healthier and more ‘environmentally friendly,’ but even here hurdles exist. Among consumers who fit the climavore profile, 50% state plant-based foods are too expensive, 18% believe they ‘don’t taste good’ and 16% feel alienated by plant-forward products, seeing them as ‘not real food’.

What should take from all this? Regardless of whether consumers identify with the climavore label or not, every shopper wants their food and drinks to look, taste – and now – do good. The positive news is that, by harnessing quality plant-based ingredients and smart formulation strategies, producers can help consumers enjoy it all – improved nutritional credentials, delicious and satisfying sensory experiences – and cater to the ‘climavore’ perspective in the process.

Perfecting nutritional profiles

First, let’s talk nutrition. One of the biggest barriers to consumers choosing plant-based over traditional animal products is a perceived lack of nutritional quality. Plant proteins have been synonymous with healthy eating for decades, but while most agree such options are lower in harmful macros like saturated fat, a significant cohort also see meat as an irreplaceable nutrient source. This can lead consumers to see plant-proteins as ‘insufficiently nutritious,’ deterring them from choosing meat-free options. How then can food producers ‘beef’ up the nutritional content of plant-based proteins, and – crucially – support this with proven on-pack claims? The first step is choosing the right protein.

Plant-based proteins are not created equal when it comes to amino acid content, quality and digestibility. While some come relatively close to the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) of animal proteins, other common sources such as oat, almonds or lentils fall far short of the ‘complete protein’ standard. However, there are solutions out there that solve this challenge and can offer a PDCAAS score equivalent to that of animal-derived proteins like whey or egg. In addition to plant protein quality, micronutrients such as iron, selenium and vitamin B12 are important to ensure a matching nutritional profile with animal protein.

Substitute, not sacrifice

Another major blocker for would-be climavores is sensory experience – or the lack thereof. To win out over animal-based counterparts, plant-based foods need to deliver appealing tastes, aromas and textures – so consumers don’t feel compromise is the only way to meet their health and sustainability goals. There’s also a need for producers to cater to a broader range of consumer taste and texture preferences – with some favouring products that are close to traditional meat flavours, while others look for something completely unique.

Yeast extracts, maskers and flavours can help brands build an umami-rich, well-rounded taste profiles while masking off notes and delivering specific flavors and aromas for their plant-based products. Not only do these powerhouses help marry together the sensory profile of the protein source and other ingredients, they can also be invaluable for reducing sodium content, a topic with particular importance in the plant-based space. Texturizers like gellan gum or pectin also work to form a delicious and authentic mouthfeel, whether a producer is aiming for the distinct flakiness of white fish, the meaty bite of roast beef or something entirely new.

Delivering real environmental responsibility

Finally – the crux of it all, sustainability. Where once consumers may have been impressed by a plant-based positioning, this alone is no longer enough. Growing skepticism surrounding ‘greenwashing’ is forcing food companies to ‘get real’ with their sustainability claims with concrete metrics and transparent reporting methods. Where, and from whom, producers source their ingredients is a crucial consideration. Manufacturers of consumer-ready products typically do not have sight over the full journey ingredients take from soil to shelf, so to provide the credible claims climavores (and most other consumers) want, they need the support of a reliable, honest and transparent supplier.

Key metrics and accreditations to watch out for here are absolute carbon reduction targets with a concrete target date, water usage and sustainable resource management, indirect value chain emissions, robust reporting structures through third-party assessment schemes such as the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and provable social impact, whether through on-farm education, community-based projects or individual mentoring.

What’s in a name?

Understanding the ‘climavore’ perspective is crucial for success in today’s food market. The points discussed above suggest this statement is true, but before the industry gets too attached to this new term, could there be scope to view consumers as people first and climavores second? With climate-related concerns increasingly impinging on daily life, very few shoppers have the luxury of disregarding sustainability completely when making their food choices. Maybe then, instead of seeing it as a separate category, the industry should move forward with the assumption that there is a little bit of ‘climavore’ in everyone.

#dsmfirmenich #ingredients #sustainability

Opinion: Making sustainability easier to swallow

The Plant Base

5 January 2024

Opinion: Making sustainability easier to swallow

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