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R AW M AT E R I A L S
The plant-based life The plant-based trend is growing from a flavor-of-the-moment favorite into a sustainable, long-term trend, with a market growth of over 50% for the past five years and no signs of stopping even when faced with disruptions including COVID-19. Opportunities in baking are ripe for the picking, as long as technical formulation challenges are weeded out.
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The plant-baked market is flourishing, and it’s not just people who opt for meat-free diets who are driving it: 90% of plant-based consumers are not vegetarian or vegan, NPD highlights in its report, “The Future of Plant-Based Snapshot.” Vegetarians, vegans, and flexitarians together are welcoming foodstuffs free of animal-origin ingredients – for reasons not just health-related, but also factoring in their care for the climate and sustainability concerns, aside from general wellbeing. Research shows that 15% of millennials are already meat-free1 and the industry is changing its menu to provide: new product launches with a plant-based claim increased by a CAGR of 57% globally between 2015-2019 2. Europe alone accounts for 43.1% of the global launches in this category3.
prebiotic fiber, fruits, and healthy fats that fuel the brain, support gut health, and overall well-being. Plant-based baking For the ingredient list, it means replacing all animal-based ingredients, from meat, dairy, to egg, honey, to gelatin, or butter. These reformulations from animal-based ingredients to plant-based alternatives are not without challenges, as ingredients with different process requirements join the mix instead. Additionally, “Achieving the same taste as traditional baked goods presents an exciting challenge for bakers and there are several substitutions available to help them overcome these challenges,” explains Sarah Hite, food scientist at Dawn Foods North America.
This trend only accelerated as the pandemic took hold, with a report by Nielsen showing that alternative meat sales increased 454% in the third week of March 2020 compared to the same week in 2019. The plant-based food market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.9% from 2020 to 2027 to reach USD74.2 billion by 20274. What does this mean for the bakery industry? An interesting launch is Mmmly, for example, a plant-based reimagined cookie that was relaunched by its manufacturer in March this year. The company introduced these cookies as featuring clean and innovative ingredients such as root vegetables, 1
UK Diet Trends 2020, Finder (quoted by ‘Planting Possibilities: Insights’,
a report by Ingredion) 2
Innova Database, 2019
3
Ingredion 2019 Global Consumer Insights Program: Atlas, 2019
4
Plant Based Food Market by Product Type (Dairy Alternatives,
Meat Substitute, Plant-Based Eggs, Confectionery), Source (Soy Protein, Wheat Protein), and Distribution Channel (Business to Business and Business to Customers) – Global Forecast to 2027, by Meticulous Research
www.bakingbiscuit.com 03/2021
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