In order to further improve the awareness and attention of all sectors of society to plant-based food and help the healthy development of plant-based food industry, the China Plant-based Food Industry Development Report 2022 (hereinafter referred to as the Report), edited by the Food and Nutrition Development Institute of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Global Green Union (Beijing) Food Safety Certification Center, was released in Shanghai. According to the report, as a solution to protect animal welfare and achieve low-carbon and sustainable development of agriculture and food industry, plant-based food has the characteristics of low resource consumption, rich sources and environmental friendliness, and are being favored by more and more consumers.

With abundant plant protein resources in China, expanding the application scope is the key

At present, a large number of new products such as plant-based meat and plant-based milk have entered the market, and the consumption growth of plant-based food has been seen in almost all channels. Especially with the strengthening of consumer health consciousness and environmental protection consciousness, plant-based food has shown a great potential for development in China, the head food enterprises have begun to pay attention to and carry out plant-based food industry layout. At this stage, the application of plant protein in China is still mainly in the field of feed, and there are not many occasions for direct use in food industry, and China has rich plant protein resources, but it has not been efficient use of it. In order to realize the sustainable development of plant protein, it is urgent to fully tap the consumer demand, expand the application scope of plant protein in the field of food, make efficient use of plant protein resources in China and actively develop related products.

The acceptance is increasing year by year, and the price affects the consumption of plant-based meat

In terms of plant-based meat consumption, in view of health, environmental protection, business promotion and other factors, consumers' acceptance of artificial meat is increasing year by year. Among consumers who have already bought plant-based meat, health is the main reason for consumers to buy again, followed by environmental protection, taste and trendy. After a survey on the age of consumers, it is found that plant-based meat is more popular among young consumers, and the generation after 90s is the main consumer group of plant-based meat, and then the consumption proportion declines with the increase of age. In addition, men, who prefer meat, are less receptive to plant-based meat.

At present, because the market share of plant-based meat is very small compared to traditional meat, plant-based meat enterprises are seeking cooperation to expand sales channels. Domestic plant-based meat companies have coincident with the major well-known chain catering enterprises, hot IP and network celebrities to launch new products, to improve visibility to open the market, sell product after gaining more attention. In addition, due to the "healthy" properties of plant-based meat itself, some companies use it as a raw material to launch vegan salad and other products with high nutritional value, low calorie content and high unit price, whose target consumer groups are women or fitness people who have strong consumption power and want to keep fit.

The key to making plant-based meat competitive in the market, and then to the people's table, is the price. Due to the current plant-based meat is still in the growth stage, the market demand is small and the scale of production is low, resulting in a higher price. Supply chain stability and widespread demand is the top priority to reduce the unit price of plant-based meat. With the development of the industry and technological innovation, the price of plant-based meat will be the same as that of traditional animal meat in the future, or even lower. In the long run, for cell culture meat whose market is not mature and cannot be commercially produced at present, reducing the production cost is also the key to the wide acceptance of cell culture meat in the market.

Consumer demand is rising, plant-based milk should pay attention to the balance of nutrition and flavor

Since plant-based milk can be drunk directly and also be paired with coffee, tea, etc., it was favored by more and more consumers in recent years. The growth of the plant-based milk industry, on the one hand, has brought good news to the development of the industry, on the other hand, also requires the industry to play the advantages of industrial development, understand the raw material production capacity, market consumption demands and existing problems and challenges, so as to better achieve the development of "from trend to advantage".

In addition to traditional soy milk, almond milk, etc., in recent years, oat milk, coconut milk and other plant-based milks have been added to coffee, milk tea and other drinks in the base form, and the rapid development of coffee and tea drinking industry has driven the market's consumption demand for plant-based milk. Plant-based milk, as a supplement to coffee milk base, on the one hand, provides a new choice for lactose intolerant coffee lovers, on the other hand, meets the more personalized needs of young consumers, providing them with a rich taste experience.

However, plant-based milk has the problem of insufficient nutrition to a certain extent, and there is a certain difference in nutritional health value with milk. For example, with the exception of soy milk, the protein content of other plant-based milks is generally lower than that of milk, which can be solved by appropriate nutrient supplementation. In addition, attention should be paid to the development of balanced nutrition and taste products. For example, through processes such as preparation and homogenization, the precipitation and emulsification of drinks can be controlled within an appropriate range, and better taste, flavor and consumption experience can be presented in the case of avoiding excessive precipitation. At the same time, it is also necessary to avoid excessive processing and preparing, avoid waste on material costs, and preserve the nutritional elements, taste and flavor of plant-based milk itself as completely as possible.

Source: China Food News

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