plant based Converting Even the Most Sceptical
PEOPLE WANT PLANT-BASED Today, if you Google ‘What is plant-based’, you get about 2.8 billion results in less than 60 seconds.
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he term was first coined in 1980 by Dr Thomas Colin Campbell, creating the phrase to help present his research on diet to sceptical colleagues at the National Institutes of Health that year. The term reached new levels of popularity after the release of the 2016 edition of The China Study, Dr Campbell’s book detailing the link between plant-based eating and the reduction of certain cancers and chronic diseases. With more and more customers interested in ordering plantbased dishes in restaurants and foodservice venues, chefs are updating their menus to provide non-meat and dairy-free options. Ben Davis, VP of Plant Based World Expo North America, explained that the lines between vegan/non vegan/etc. are becoming more and more blurred. These trends affect everyone, whether it’s a ‘vegan’ looking for more nutrient dense, customisable, and creative plant-based dishes, or someone who eats meat on occasion. “We are all looking for something that suits our unique needs, excites our eyes, nose, and taste buds, and in the end makes us feel better than we felt when we
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walked through the door hungry in the first place. Perhaps the real question for restaurants is less about how we leverage trends to appeal to people and more about how we better understand our unique customer base and design menus to leave them feeling happy and healthy.”
Friends not Foes
It’s not a matter of plant-based replacing meat and dairy either. Givaudan, the world’s largest multinational manufacturer of flavours, fragrances, and active cosmetic ingredients, has noted that plant-based and dairy, for example, are not mutually
exclusive, with growth in the plantbased dairy sector being fuelled by consumers who are buying both alternatives and real dairy products. “We have new insights which reinforce what we already knew,” said Laurence Minisini, Givaudan Consumer and Market Insights Manager. “Plant-based dairy is predicted to have a bright future alongside dairy. In most cases plant-based and dairy don’t exclude each other, on the contrary. People are diversifying their consumption and largely enjoy plant-based and dairy.”
The options and variations of how you can incorporate plantbased have grown so much that even the most die-hard meat fans are being converted. Gordon Ramsay, who has mocked vegans in the past, recently admitted that he actually “loves” plant-based food. The British TV personality and Michelin-starred chef revealed the news on the US series of Masterchef: Back to Win. While explaining a vegan cooking challenge to the contestants (the show’s first-ever), Ramsay said, “It’s a secret that’s so big, I’m almost afraid to say it on national television. After all these years, I can finally admit that I actually love vegan food,” he continued, before stating that it has taken “20 years to get to this point.” Several of Ramsay’s eateries now offer plant-based options. His Michelin-starred French-inspired fine dining restaurant, Pétrus by Gordon Ramsay, even offers a Prestige Vegan Menu. Meanwhile, super-star comedian Kevin Hart is opening a vegan fast-food restaurant chain with a former Burger King chef. The Fatherhood star is set to open two Hart House locations in 2022. The restaurants will be 100 percent plant-based and serve food that Hart calls “crave-able”, while also being sustainable and affordable. Menu items include favourite fast-food staples, including burgers, chicken sandwiches, nuggets, fries, and milkshakes, alongside salads and other sides. Everything is also free from artificial colours, preservatives, and corn syrup. The underlying motivation is to give people access to the food they enjoy, but healthier and without any compromise on taste or price. In order to guarantee the eating experience, Hart House poached Chef Michael Salem from Burger King, where he served as head of culinary innovation, bringing the Impossible Whopper to the menu.
The Humble Vegetable
It’s important to remember that plant-based isn’t just about alternative proteins, it’s also about creating innovative vegetable dishes, using the best produce, and acknowledging its purest form. Chefs and restaurants around Continued on page 12.
