The new food revolution brewing from consumer demand

Food is a fundamental centrepiece of human culture, ritual, health and survival. Yet, despite technological advancements having beneficially transformed practically every other sector of society (think transportation, retail, music, energy, healthcare), progress until recently has been practically zero in creating healthier, fresher produce and protein.

Luckily, thanks to advances in science, biology and technology, this is changing. A new food revolution is brewing as consumers demand more healthy and sustainable food options.

Proteins without the animal, the production of indoor fruit and vegetables without the fields, customised nutrition and precision agriculture are just some of the ways technology and consumer shifts are converging.

One is the rise of plant-based proteins (PBPs). This will have the most impact on the traditional agriculture and horticultural sectors. It will also potentially provide lucrative opportunities for New Zealand growers.  

A recent report by Research and Markets forecasts the global PBP market will increase from $US8.35 billion in 2016 to $US14.22 billion by 2022. That’s close to 6% annual growth.

This is due to (mainly western) consumers’ desire to cut back on meat consumption and adopt a more plant-based diet for health, ethical and environmental reasons. A raft of small and nimble startups are now on a quest to change the way meat gets on to the plate by harnessing plants.  

In 2015, more than 100 plant-based meat (PBM) substitutes were introduced into US grocery stores alone. Impossible Foods, New Zealand’s Sunfed Meats, Beyond Meat, Hampton Creek, the Not Co and New Wave Foods are just some who are producing plant-based alternatives to beef, chicken, dairy and seafood that taste a lot like the real deal.

Soy, wheat, the newly-famed pea, mycelium (mushroom), rice and potato are the most popular plant-based sources of proteins. The market for pea protein alone is expected to reach $US39.50 million by 2022 – an 8% annual growth.

Additional sources needed
With the exception of potatoes, most of these staple crops have little relevance for New Zealand growers. But the world is going to require a raft of additional plant proteins to satiate this growing demand, especially if reliance on animal farming is lessened without encountering adverse environmental impacts associated with conventional monoculture crop production.  

Fortunately, local research into plant-based protein is still in its nascent stage.

Christie Lagally, senior scientist at the US-based Good Food Institute, likens the plant-based protein market to the computer industry in the 1980s.

“We are only starting to scratch the surface of the world of plants with favourable protein properties that could be used in future plant-based foods and meat alternatives,” she says.

It is “potentially one of the biggest imminent shakeups in the global food industry” this generation has seen.   

“There’s a whole gulf of plant proteins from around the world that haven’t even been explored. Not only that, the magic formula for making plant-based meat is virtually non-existent right now.”

The use of pea, soy and spirulina in food ingredients for baking, nutraceuticals, milk and snack bars have been increasingly researched in recent years. But Ms Lagally says little of that R&D has focused on specific PBP properties suitable for structuring and producing viable meat substitutes.

Mimicking meat
That means proteins that can mimic the juicy, non-uniform and unique smell, taste, texture of meat. It presents New Zealand growers and science with a huge opportunity.

Horticultural industry leaders could collectively fund comprehensive plant protein R&D that is specific to New Zealand conditions and crop varietals. This could apply to the food chain from plant protein farming and breeding to product formulation (data on taste, texture, structure), nutrients processing, manufacturing and distribution.

Other areas could include the application of novel lighting and controlled environment farming technology for optimal plant quality, nutrition and yield.

Hans Maurer, knowledge officer and chairman of the technical advisory group at United Fresh, says innovation has played a major role in the horticulture industry’s 10-year strategy developed in 2010. 

“One of the telling outcomes for me was the acknowledgement that, as an industry, we needed to develop ‘proxies for scale’ as scale itself was sadly lacking other than in the kiwifruit sector,” he says.

When economies of scale aren’t possible for producers, other market forces such as intellectual property rights (IP), patents, registered brands and thought leadership need to be leveraged – this is known as proxies of scale.

Economies of scale
“In New Zealand, most companies are challenged by the economies of scale model. For example, we can feed 40 million people with the food products we produce – less than 1% of global food supply,” Mr Maurer says.

The plant protein debate fits the proxy for scale argument like a glove. “Intellectual property development is not challenged by the usual constraints applying to conventional horticultural production. To succeed, we will need to instigate a substantial paradigm shift, though – and we need international partners.”

It’s ambitious but the development of an in-depth, science and consumer-focused library specific to plant proteins food production would be valuable. 

It would position New Zealand as the go-to global leader in PBP research and provide IP for local and international food companies.  

Mr Maurer suggests a starting point would to deepen the relationship between Massey University and the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands.

The IP could be used to transition New Zealand growers from low-margin commodities into areas that can command higher export revenues. It could be a risky strategy. But it could also be one of the biggest wins for the industry.

Dr Bosworth holds a PhD in environmental innovation and sustainable technology development. She is a regular speaker and adviser on the future of food and agriculture

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