What was once dubbed a fad has become a US$4.5 billion market, growing at a rate of five times total food sales, according to the Plant-based Foods Association (PBFA), San Francisco.

The Plant-based Food Boom

based on ResearchAndMarketss Global Market Report on plant-based food and beverages 2021, Asia-Pacific is home to more than 4.3 billion people, who constitute approximately 60 percent of the worlds total population. Nearly over a third of this population already consumes low- or no-meat diets. In fact, there are close to 5 million vegetarians in the region, with India accounting for the largest vegetarian population of 3.68 million people.

A plant-based diet is not only for vegetarians or vegans anymore. Globally, there has been a spike in demand for plant-based options due to a combination of factors. They include:

1. The increased health consciousness of the general population
2. Consumers shift of preference from dining-out to home-cooked meals
3. Longer shelf-life of plant-based food compared to meat
4. The increased environmental sustainability of plant-based foods

Consumers are opting for plant-based options in their daily diet as they offer the same taste, flavour, and nutritional value that natural sources provide. As a result, there is a rise in consumers following a flexitarian diet which refers to people who are consciously including more plant-based foods and beverages in addition to their consumption of animal-based products meat. (majority of global flexitarians are consuming more plant based options into their diets while still eating animal-based food and beverage products.

based on ADMs OutsideVoice tatistics insights, sixty-three percent of plant-protein consumers believe Taste & Nutrition are equally important and they are not willing to sacrifice either in alternative product formulations. 

Hence, many food manufacturers who have hopped onto the plant-based bandwagon face multiple challenges both in meeting the consumers demands as well as sustaining market competitiveness in a growing industry.

The plant-based meat market in Asia may be limited by established perception issues, said Elaine Siu, managing director of The Good Food Institute Asia Pacific. For example, mock meat or vegetarian meat was previously primarily eaten by followers of Buddhism in China, she said.

"In order for plant-based meat to reach its full market potential in Asia, the sector must continue to break free of its association with traditional mock meats, which are expected to be sold at a low price point and carry historical image baggage," said Siu.

Moreover, tough texture, overpowering scent and tastes, does not "look and feel" like the original meat product. Therefore, when considering what would help mask some of the undesirable traits associated with plant proteins, some meat analogue products add salts, fats or sugars to compensate. While they may be meat-free, some meat analogue items are nevertheless ultra-processed foods—and there is a growing backlash against products that cannot demonstrate their clean label credentials.

Introducing ADMs NutriFlexTM

Unique to ADM, new protein-forward NutriFlexTM provides integrated plant-based solutions to help you bring whats next to your consumers. NutriFlexTM offers three levels of protein-forward systems to meet your needs, including EdgeFlexTM Product Systems. EdgeFlexTM, our full-service finished product delivery platform, is designed to give you a competitive edge with differentiated, consumer-preferred meat alternative products, allowing for the quickest route to market.

Benefit from ADMs unmatched ingredient pantry, R&D, product development & culinary expertise to create tailored, innovative and expertly crafted plant-forward solutions in a range of locally relevant trending formats such as mince, patties, chunks and strips meat alternatives. No matter your production and manufacturing requirements, ADM can design a system that works for your needs.