A change in consumption patterns
Day after day, a growing part of our population seeks to be an actor of this change through various individual actions. It is in this context that a growing number of individuals are changing their eating habits by becoming flexitarian, vegetarian or even vegan.
More than 50% of Belgians, aware of the consequences of livestock farming on climate change, the lack of respect for animals and their own health, say they have no problem cutting back on meatconsumption up to 2 or 3 days a week.
They are open to the idea of eating plant-based meat substitutes if the taste is good and the manufacturing process has a fundamental respect for the environment. As Paul Bocuse said: "If it tastes good, it can't get any better".
The decrease in the consumption of animal products has been noted worldwide. -10% for meat in America since 2011, -22% for milk consumption in Australia in 2017 and -7% for eggs in America in 2017.
In our country, 50% of Belgians saw a drop in meat consumption in 2017. Meat consumption between 2010 and 2020 fell by 8.8%. Today, a Belgian eats an average of 72 kg of meat compared to 82 kg in 2010. At the same time, the global market for meat substitutes is expected to be worth 5.2 billion dollars in 2020, corresponding to a growth rate of 8.4% per year.
Consumers, meanwhile, are searching for the term "vegan" 5 times more according to Google since January 2019.
Finally, according to The Vegan Strategist, it turns out that if the trend remains as it is today, the world will be eating as many meat and fish substitutes as real meat and fish by 2060.
Innovation at the heart of consumer expectations
In order to respond to the consumer's desire to replace yesterday's plate, it is necessary to turn to innovation to offer a solution to this new demand.
Two areas of innovation are important for this new market :
- The integration of new, more natural ingredients of plant origin that have a better texture, pea proteins, wheat or seaweed in combination with spices that offer a surprising taste.
- The development of new manufacturing technologies (innovative facilities and equipment). The innovation of oven-baked products: so crunchy, as if they had been deep-fried. The advantage is that these products contain 5 to 6% fat instead of 12% or more.
By combining these two parameters, it is possible to develop products that taste amazing, a pleasant texture and a suitable texture, thus meeting consumers' expectations.
Unfortunately, many specialists are confronted with inadequate equipment to efficiently produce the desired quantities.
On the one hand, the equipment is far too small for independent pioneers/inventors or on the other hand, far too heavy for a specialist working for a multinational.
For these pioneers and specialists, a strategic partnership with an industrial company can help them to get their project off the ground. This can be done without major industrial investment, but together with one or more partners.
The support of our member Raviflex
RaviFlex is a company that offers its production services to independent inventors as well as to industrialists who wish to launch new vegetarian products.
For more information :
Sources
Raviflex
https://www.un.org/fr/sections/issues-depth/population/index.html
https://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/international/negotiations/paris_fr