One of today’s challenges is to build a new food offer that is more balanced, and ecologically, economically and nutritionally sound.
The use of alternatives to animal proteins has become more than just a way of meeting this challenge.
This major challenge has been taken up, and has led to a transition in the food supply.
How can this be achieved? Through the multiple possibilities for innovation in terms of alternatives to animal proteins.

 

 

 

The triple raison d’être of alternatives to animal proteins

Alternatives to animal proteins are undeniably a response to a triple emergency:

The demographic emergency, as the world’s population is expected to reach 10.4 billion by 2100[1]: that’s as many people as need to be fed sustainably.
Nutritional urgency, as red and processed meat is recognized as carcinogenic by the WHO[2].
Ecological urgency, because agriculture and the agri-food industry account for 34% of greenhouse gas emissions, with activities linked to animal protein production accounting for over 60% of the total[3].

With meat consumption forecast to increase by 15% between now and 2031, and to reach 524 million tonnes in 2080[4], diversification of protein sources is a necessity. This is no longer ignored, as evidenced by the many actions taken by governments, companies and investors around the world. Everyone agrees that we need to change our diets and achieve protein self-sufficiency.

By way of example, the think tank initiated by the EIT Food consortium has published a report[5] shedding light on the issues and solutions linked to this vast question.

Alternatives to animal proteins: innovation on the plate!

The key ingredient in the development of alternatives to animal proteins can be summed up in one word: innovation. The acceleration of this trend cannot be achieved without aiming for sustainable and efficient production and processing methods to produce nutritionally high-quality foods. This is a challenge in terms of innovation, which has been progressively met over the last ten years or so, and which offers both concrete and highly promising prospects. This portfolio of alternative proteins includes :

• Plant proteins, already widely developed. A wide variety of plant proteins are used in meat and dairy substitutes, extracted from conventional plants such as wheat, oats, soya, peas, beans, walnuts… A development that is now extending to less conventional plant sources such as chia, hemp, linseed, rapeseed, jackfruit or cereals more resistant to climate change, such as millet and sorghum.

• Microalgae and macroalgae are among the most promising future sources, thanks to their high protein and amino acid content, and their ability to capture large amounts of carbon. The methods for producing and extracting their proteins are still relatively new, but that hasn’t stopped spirulina from becoming a popular ingredient. This has led companies all over the world to look for ways of incorporating microalgae into attractive food products, such as Algama, a start-up that selects algae and transforms them into ingredients to create alternatives to animal products. Algama won the “Tech for the future 2024” prize in the French start-up competition organized by La Tribune.

• Insects, already consumed in southern countries, are now recognized as edible in Europe for certain species. They also represent a non-negligible potential source of protein diversification. While, to date, the majority of uses have been in animal feed and, first and foremost, aquaculture, it is possible that, in a few years’ time, R&D work will find them as an ingredient in the formulation of many common foods. In just a few years, France has become the world champion of this emerging sector, which is structured around players such as Ynsect, Innovafeed and Agronutris.

The present and future of alternatives to animal proteins

Developing healthy, clean products must be the roadmap for protein innovation. This means reducing the list of ingredients, choosing natural additives and hybrid products, and developing new processes for raw materials.

We are only at the beginning of a transition that will take time, but which is underway and opens up real prospects.

Plant-based milks are a case in point: the first, such as Oatly and Alpro, were created barely 20 years ago and now account for an average of 15% of sales in this category. Vegetable substitutes for meat, the first of which appeared less than 10 years ago, and vegetable substitutes for cheese, are confirming their presence on the shelves year after year. But that’s not all: some of them are now often part of the shopping list, and are increasingly inviting themselves to the tables of restaurants and chains.

One of the main challenges for innovation in terms of alternatives to animal proteins remains: developing expertise and knowledge about ingredients. This is essential to extracting the right nutrients, masking aftertastes, adjusting colors and transforming everything into tasty finished products with a reduced list of ingredients to appeal to consumers over the long term.

 

👉 Download the IFoodEA collective’s “eating tomorrow” white paper on the food transition.

 

[1] Nations Unies, Questions Thématiques Populations

[2] WHO, Cancer : Carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat, 2015

[3] Nature Food, Food systems are responsible for a third of global anthropogenic GHG emissions, 03/2021

[4] FAO, prévision consommation viande, 2023

[5] EIT Food Protein diversification Think Tank, 2023

 

 

— An article written by NUTRIKEO —