Foodservice Footprint HEADS2 Comment: More but better plants, please Comment

Comment: More but better plants, please

Plant-based foods are popular but foodservice companies need to ensure they are offering ‘better’ products and dishes, says Mark Driscoll.

The plant-based market has exploded in the last few years. More citizens than ever are turning to plant-based products as alternatives to meat, dairy and other livestock derived foods. Some 13% of UK citizens are flexitarian, according to YouGov, with numbers continuing to grow. Health, sustainability and animal welfare concerns are driving this – and foodservice businesses are tapping into this trend

Indeed, the global plant-based segment is predicted to reach $37.9bn (£27.8m) in market value by 2027. More companies and brands are investing in new products. Plant-based seafood, chicken, pork, eggs, and chocolate are proving particularly popular areas of new product development.

All this is great news, isn’t it? From an environmental perspective – whether tackling climate change or reversing biodiversity loss – the single most important thing a citizen can do is to eat less meat, placing plants at the centre of their plates (reducing food waste comes a close second). 

But not all plant-based foods – particularly those with significant amounts of sugars, saturated fats, and salts, including some so-called ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – are healthy. In fact, many could do more harm than good. Scrutiny of the nutritional qualities of plant-based foods has intensified in recent months. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently published a review which concluded that “not all plant based diets are healthy”. The experts said “the evidence on the long-term health impacts of vegetarian and vegan diets remains incomplete”.

Many of these products are certainly not the silver bullet for healthy, sustainable diets that some believe them to be. This is why there needs to be far more consideration on the type and quality of plant-based foods offered in restaurants, supermarkets and workplace canteens. Only then can we avoid the potential unintended health consequences of plant-based foods that mimic meat but contain high levels of sugar, fat, and salt as a result. 

Healthy and sustainable diets are generally diverse, containing high-fibre, plant-based, nutrient-rich foods, so vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and unsaturated oils. According to the WHO reviewindividuals should preferably choose minimally processed foods and drinks: whole grains over refined grains; whole fruits over fruit juices; unrefined non-tropical vegetable oils (rich in mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids) such as olive and sunflower oil over coconut oil and partially hydrogenated oils; and unsweetened beverages such as water, coffee or tea over fizzy drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages”.

Food retail and foodservice businesses have a huge role to play here. They can increase the availability of the foods mentioned above (and restrict the highly processed ones). They can also pay closer attention to the ‘planet-friendly’ options on their menus and shelves: plant-based foods can come with a much smaller footprint than their meat or dairy cousins, but how do the nutritional qualities compare?

Encouragingly, there is an appetite for ‘low-tech’ innovation among consumers. A survey of 11,000 people in the EU (not including the UK) showed “traditional vegetarian foods”, like vegetarian stews, are the meat substitutes of choice (60% versus 37% who chose plant-based burgers, provided they were free of GMOs). “As other alternative protein sources such as pulses (beans, peas and lentils) are likely to have better consumer acceptance, their production and increased consumption should be fostered,” noted consumer group BEUC, which commissioned the research in 2020.

I have long been a strong advocate for a ‘less but better’ approach to meat consumption – with the need to reduce global meat consumption by at least 50% by 2040 (recognising that in some countries reductions will need to be higher and in others this will be lower). When we do eat meats, these must be ‘better’ from a health, sustainability, and animal welfare perspective (as highlighted in last year’s Footprint report: ‘The caterer’s guide to better meat’). We need to support high welfare, agroecological, regenerative, pastoral, and organic livestock farming systems and shift away from intensive, factory farming systems. This will help build soil health, improve biodiversity, reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and improve farmer livelihoods.

Alongside a ‘less but better’ approach to meats we therefore need to take a ‘more but better’ approach to plant-based foods, focusing on more diversity (at the moment 60% of global calories come from around half a dozen key globally traded crops). So, fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes (including the multitude of orphan and forgotten crops). This is where the imagination of chefs can be so important, creating healthy and sustainable dishes that inspire people. 

Only by taking a ‘less but better meats and more but better plants’ approach can we hope to improve the health of people, planet, and animals.

This is an adapted version of a blog originally published on the Tasting the Future website. Mark Driscoll is founder of Tasting the Future, a consultancy.