This non-GMO soy drink was created by Italian baristas to yield an ultra-creamy plant-based cappuccino with twice the froth of regular soy milk. SRP: $5.45
This unsweetened, certified organic, keto "mylk" blends coconut cream and coconut oil. Each 1-cup serving of this creamy vegan drink boasts 5 grams of MCT oil, 70 calories and less than 1 gram of carbohydrates. SRP: $34.99/six-pack
"Udder Free Only" is the motto of this fledgling brand, whose co-founders make every bottle of this certified organic hemp milk by hand. Oats, chia seeds, lemon juice, vanilla bean extract and a touch of cane sugar round out this refrigerated plant-based milk, which comes in glass bottles. SRP: $6.99
Enjoy this refrigerated version of American-style cheddar sauce on pasta, crackers or veggies—or eat it straight from the pouch. Made from fermented "imperfect" cauliflower and hemp seed, this addictive ultra-clean sauce is gluten, nut, soy and GMO free. SRP: $5.99
These creamy, tangy crumbles are soy free, allergen free, non-GMO and utterly convincing as a nondairy version of the popular Greek-style cheese. Bonus: They're manufactured in the brand's zero-waste-certified facility. SRP: $4.99
These refrigerated plant-based shreds melt just like the dairy version, but they're created from coconut, potato starch and fava bean protein. They're also fermented and aged the same way as real cheddar, yielding a rich, intense flavor and spot-on stretchy texture. SRP: $4.99
The five SKUs in this new line of grounds have the "flavor, chew and bite of crumbled ground beef." Made from a proprietary blend of soy, coconut and canola oils, the certified-plant-based, non-GMO, gluten-free grounds have 9 grams of protein per serving. SRP: $7.99
The newest variety in this stunningly convincing line of plant-based chicken has a perfectly crunchy breaded exterior. Not only does this soy protein product look, feel, taste and cook like the real thing, it also has 11 grams of protein. SRP: $7.99
This plant-powered bacon captures the organoleptic essence of its meaty counterpart—right down to the satisfying sizzle. Made from coconut oil and rice flour, this alt bacon gets its umami from shitake mushrooms and seasonings. SRP: $8.99
There are 20 grams of texturized pea protein and 3 grams of carbohydrates per serving of this non-GMO single-ingredient product. Hot water and five minutes are all it takes to turn these shelf-stable crumbles into an easy replacement for any ground meat. SRP: $22.99
Crafted from the brand's six-legume blend, these plant-based patties mimic the taste and texture of traditional crab cakes, using natural vegan flavors for seafood notes. SRP: $5.99
This new-and-improved recipe replicates the taste, texture, look and smell of tuna fish in a completely vegan product with a pea protein–safflower oil base. It is also soy free, gluten free and non-GMO and comes with black pepper. SRP: $5.49
This new-and-improved recipe replicates the taste, texture, look and smell of tuna fish in a completely vegan product with a pea protein–safflower oil base. It is also soy free, gluten free and non-GMO and comes with black pepper. SRP: $5.49
In late 2020, the XPRIZE Foundation, a nonprofit organizer of global technology competitions designed to address the world's greatest challenges, launched a $15 million, four-year competition to develop "cutting-edge chicken and fish alternatives that are globally accessible and provide scalable, sustainable and nutritious food-security solutions." Though the hefty purse is nothing to sneeze at, it hardly compares to the investment dollars pouring into the plant-based food sector, particularly for meat and dairy replacements.
The Good Food Institute reports that $1.5 billion was invested in alternative protein companies in 2020 alone.
The number of transactions in plant-based foods overall climbed to 83 in 2019 from 23 in 2016, according to New Hope Network's Nutrition Capital Network. As of November, an estimated 113 transactions took place in 2020. Three-quarters of those were valued at a total of approximately $3 billion, NCN reports.
These investments are fueling a multitude of technological breakthroughs in the plant-based food and beverage sphere in terms of ingredients, organoleptic attributes and product formats. Many of the companies developing these next-gen offerings also prioritize long-held natural products industry values such as health, sustainability, transparency, traceability and access, giving retailers in this space a lot to be excited about.
Flexitarian values
Flexitarian consumers may be primarily seeking the health benefits of plant-centric diets, but many also have growing concerns about the environment, food safety and animal welfare. Today's explosion of plant-based innovation in meat and dairy substitutes is luring people with the promise that, by making minor adjustments to what and how they consume, they can reap both the nutritional and ethical rewards.
Flexitarians are, literally, eating it up. According to SPINS, natural plant-based foods and beverages commanded nearly $640 million in the 52 weeks ending Dec. 27, 2020 (SPINS Natural Enhanced Channel), a year-over-year dollar volume percent change of 23%. Within that, refrigerated plant-based milk is the largest segment while refrigerated plant-based meat is the fastest growing, although most alt dairy and meat subcategories are experiencing at least double-digit growth. In particular, plant-based ice cream, yogurt and refrigerated almond milks have some of the highest dollar values, while refrigerated plant-based grounds (meat) and meatballs boast two of the highest year-over-year volume dollar change percentages.
'Real' competition
Much of this market growth is thanks to plant-based products moving ever-closer to their animal counterparts in taste, texture and performance. However, with those barriers surmounted, brands must add the nutrition back into their products to meet the consumers' ever-growing demand for healthy foods—further accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To do so, brands are formulating with an expanding variety of plant proteins.
Pea protein is resonating with consumers, with sales growing 202.9% in the 52 weeks ending Sept. 6, 2020, SPINS reports. And in terms of product innovation, New Hope Network NEXT Data and Insights data from Expo West 2017 and 2019 show that legume-based proteins and nuts are stealing market share from grains and seeds.
Algae is another new plant protein to watch. GFI recently highlighted the potential of microbial fermentation using substances including microalgae as the "third pillar of the alternative protein industry." Another up-and-comer is mycelium (fungi), with which several alt-meat companies are formulating currently.
Protein isn't the only macronutrient focus of plant-based tech—fat might well be the next frontier. Though still unavailable in the U.S., Spanish plant-based meat brand Heura Foods has created a technique for solidifying olive oil at room temperature. The result is a juicy plant-based burger with far less saturated fat than both the typical beef patty and coconut oil-based plant burgers.
Plant-based for all
In addition to nutrition, consumers are keeping a keen eye out for sustainability, traceability and transparency when shopping for plant-based foods. Now that these products exist, people want to know how they were created.
Another important question is price and therefore accessibility. How can bringing more health to more people really mean a lot more people?
For brands committed to using plant-based foods to address the food system's environmental ramifications and social inequalities, the ability to scale and achieve real impact hinges on making their products accessible to consumers across the board.
Plant-based egg brands Eat JUST and new(er)comer Zero Egg, a foodservice-only offering (for now), are making accessibility a top priority. Beyond the Butcher has recently launched a new brand, Mainstream, aiming to offer plant-based alt meats at a price point more competitive with real beef. Encouragingly, the list of similarly motivated brands is steadily growing.
Next-gen categories
Customers may be demanding more—more nutrition, more responsibility, more sustainability—from today's plant-based foods, but they still want their taste buds tantalized and culinary imaginations tickled.
Innovation in plant-based technology is driving a whole range of next-gen products and categories: plant-based chicken that looks and tastes just like the real thing; plant-based seafood with all the natural umami of the ocean; plant-based "cheeze" with convincing tang and meltiness; plant-based eggs that whip into the perfect scramble.
Another emerging trend is products that not only replace the real thing but also take the concept to deeper levels of function, convenience and even accessibility.
For example, plant-protein grounds or "shreds" made from pea, oat and other sources are easy to prepare and substitute in any recipe.
The products featured in this gallery capture some of the latest innovations in plant-based meat and dairy alternatives.
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