Plant-Based 2022

PEOPLE WANT PLANT-BASED

Today, if you Google ‘What is plant-based’, you get about 2.8 billion results in less than 60 seconds.

The 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 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.”

Converting Even the Most Sceptical

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

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the world and at all price points are making veggies the star of the plate. Whether vegan, vegetarian or vegetable-forward, it’s now about celebrating vegetables, not trying to replace meat.

In a 2020 survey, the Restaurant Association of New Zealand found that chefs were writing more vegetable-centric menus and incorporating more plantbased dishes in their cooking — a change driven mostly by diners aiming to reduce their meat consumption for the sake of the environment. Of course, the global pandemic has also made diners rethink their personal health and wellbeing choices, spurring the trend even further.

The modern diet is changing, and the change has never been easier for Kiwi consumers to make, thanks to chefs who are celebrating vegetables in delicious and creative ways.

MASTERING THE NEW AGE OF MYLKS

From a quiet start with soy-based options, plant-based milk alternatives (or mylks) have blown up around the world. Plant-based milk options are expected to grow at an 8.8 percent CAGR (compound annual growth rate) from 2021 to 2031.

Last year, it was estimated that the plant-based milk market was valued at USD$13.4 billion and set to grow to be worth almost USD$31 billion by 2031.

Throughout 2022, plant-based milks are going to distinguish themselves from the competition through a more critical look at health concerns and commitment to sustainability. Expect in 2022 to see plant milks continue to grow with mega brands like Nestlé investing in the market and new entrants like potato milk to find the limelight.

Choosing the Right Alternative

Since there are so many options out on the market today, it can be difficult to determine which ones you’ll serve in your establishment. This is where careful research and maybe some experimentation will come in handy.

Each milk alternative acts differently when processed for coffee drinks, so it’s important for you and your staff to know how to handle the various characteristics of each before adding one—or several—to a menu.

Additionally, when choosing milk alternatives to serve, it’s important to consider the allergy risk of one over the other. Nut-based milks will not be suitable for customers with nut allergies, and there are others who are sensitive to soy. It’s important to have a balance of options to suit each customer’s unique dietary and lifestyle requirements if you’re going to add milk alternatives to your menu.

Common milk alternatives:

• Oat Milk—Incredibly popular right now, oat milk is rich and creamy, making it perfect for coffee. A perfect alternative for customers who are allergic to nuts and/or prefer whole milk. • Soy Milk—A classic milk alternative, soy milk can add a bit of sweetness to a beverage and foams well. • Almond Milk—Adds a slight nutty flavour to drinks but can separate if foamed. • Coconut Milk—Provides a distinctly strong flavour and thick texture. Other burgeoning milk alternatives include: • Rice Milk • Cashew Milk • Hemp Milk • Potato Milk

What’s Popular

Regarding ingredients, oats has been one of the winners in the plant-based milk space. On the one hand this is because oats are more sustainable than other alternatives – e.g., almonds need a lot of water to grow, so questions around sustainability have been raised.

On the other hand, taste is crucial, and oats have a neutral flavour that is liked by consumers and makes oat milk a great alternative for coffee aficionados, as it does not overpower the flavour of the coffee like other types of plant-based milk. Health credentials are also associated with oats in general due to their content of prebiotic fibre, boosting an already good reputation.

Plant-Based Benefits

Offering non-dairy milk options enhances the customer experience for those who have dietary limitations, whether that’s lactose intolerance and dairy allergies, or lifestyle restrictions like veganism. Having non-dairy alternatives also gives customers agency to fully customise their beverage to suit these limitations, or to simply try something new.

Some non-dairy milk options are also nutritious, sporting high-protein or extra potassium, so if your establishment is health-focused, this is a great selling point.

PLANT-BASED PERFECTION

Different plant-based milks have unique properties that make them better suited for some offerings over others. While experimentation is the best way to find out all the benefits of different types of alternatives, here are some of our serving suggestions to help you perfect your plant-based milk offering.

All About the Coffee

When it comes to meeting customers’ expectations for smooth, creamy, and delicious beverages without using cow’s milk, here are some proven ways to deliver great results with your plant-based menu items: • Keep plant-based ingredients cold (3-4 °C) and shake them very well before mixing with coffee. They are less homogenized than cow’s milk. • For a balanced taste profile that pairs well with coffee, choose unsweetened products with natural sweetness such as oat or pea, that will not overwhelm the flavour. • When perfecting your recipes, taste both cold and after steaming. You can then ensure that sugar is available to the consumer to sweeten if desired. • To avoid curdling plant-based products, warm them first, then

slowly add hot coffee. • If you are promoting plantbased drinks as vegan, make sure ALL ingredients are vegan.

For example, since honey is made by bees, it is not vegan. • To make the best microfoam, add LESS air volume in the beginning, and add it very

FAST to give yourself the longest time possible for swirling the liquid. This action causes big bubbles to break down, so the longer you can swirl, the nicer the microfoam will be.

Perfect Pairings

Using the natural flavour of an alternative milk to create new taste combinations is a fun way to get the most out of your plant-based offering. With its naturally strong and slightly sweet flavour, coconut milk is perfect for this.

The Crooked Elm in Lower Hutt has entered The Bounty Hunter into the Sweet As Hutt’s Hot Chocolate Challenge this year. It’s a creamy coconut milk hot chocolate base spiked with lemongrass syrup, topped with whipped coconut cream, toasted coconut, and dark chocolate nibs. Served with a keto bounty bar slice to satisfy a customer’s every coconut craving. They even add Black spot Caribbean rum for a R18 version.

Satisfying Smoothies

Milk alternatives are perfect for creating healthy and delicious smoothies. Some non-dairy milk options are incredibly nutritious, sporting high-protein or extra potassium, making them sought after by consumers who are focussed on their health and wellbeing.

Hemp NZ has created some amazing smoothie recipes incorporating the versatility and superfood benefits of hemp seed hearts. Their Kiwi Hemp Hearts are 100 percent New Zealand grown hemp seeds, harvested and deshelled, fresh from farm to table. Hemp seeds are high in protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, and have a wide range of benefits. Its versatility means it can be added to a wide variety of recipes. The perfect superfood for any plant-based diet.

Hemp NZ’s Feijoa Smoothie

It’s Feijoa Season! And if you’ve got heaps of Feijoas on your hands, make the most of them with this delicious green smoothie. Ingredients: • 1 Chopped frozen Banana • 4 Fresh or frozen Feijoas (peeled & chopped) • 2 tbsp Hemp Hearts • 6 Spinach leaves • 4 Ice cubes • 1 cup Your favourite dairy-free

Yoghurt • ½ cup Your preferred plantbased Milk alternative Directions: • Add all ingredients to a blender, whizz until smooth, and watch as your customers delight in the green magic.