Page 35 - Food & Drink Magazine April 2021

to know about the taste and origins. A restaurant that switched the name of its “low-fat vegetarian black bean soup” to “Cuban black bean soup” saw a 13 per cent uplift in sales. Strategies like this can also work wonders to attract flexitarian consumers or those curious to explore meat-free options.
5CONVENIENCE WINS There are no limits on plant-based offerings. Plant- based ice cream, for example, could reach the volume of 500,000 tonnes in sales by 2027.
The vegan fast-food segment also holds huge promise. Convenient meal prep kits or ready-made meals will be the next level, especially when centred around core consumer values: taste and health.
Whether launching an innovative ingredient or a twist on a signature product, it is important to think about how your offering fits into the quest for convenience.
must be the goal. For
example, those
leveraging
regenerative
agriculture techniques
that enrich soil help
prolong the usage of
land rather than
deplete it, are helping
mitigate climate change
and stop deforestation
for agricultural start-ups. purposes. Venture
7
One would hardly find a more dynamic environment than the plant-based market. While global companies and retail chains are moving quickly into the market, it is often budding start-ups pulling the industry strings.
Carrying out your
own continuous market research to understand their progress can be key to better product development and brand positioning.
food
capitalists
and start-up incubators like
Berlin-based ProVeg Incubator are looking to support
plant-based and cultured food tech start-ups globally.
There are many plant-based market opportunities on the horizon: but those that will harvest the sweetest fruits are companies working on alternative proteins to expand the market’s offerings while ticking off the most important aspects of all: taste, convenience, andprice. ✷
KEEP UP WITH
CHANGE
PLANT-BASED SECTOR
6TRANSPARENCY IS KEY Sustainability, health credentials, and full transparency are becoming the standard in the plant-based industry as consumers hold companies more accountable than ever before. Using these values as guiding principles will be a major determinant for success in 2021 and beyond.
The consequences of unsustainable farming practices and devastating impact on local of quinoa farming in Peru and southern Bolivia opened the eyes of many, providing a distressing testimony to the risks of unsustainable farming. With rising demand, farmers sold most of their production for export, leading to negative impact on the nutrition of individuals in local communities and fuelling soil infertility and more pests and diseases as a result of mass-scale organic farming.
It’s not enough to have a low environmental impact anymore; a positive environmental impact
LEFT Pitango’s soup collaboration with Sunfed targets convenience.
Experts believe that now is the perfect time
to invest in plant-based
Safety
Storage
Efficiency
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• Safer product handling
• Optimised production space
• Improved storage capacity
• Increased productivity
& output
• Enhanced profits
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www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au | April 2021 | Food&Drink business | 35