Food Entrepreneur - March 3, 2020 - 6

FOOD ENTREPRENEUR

The

PLANT-BASED

REVOLUTIONARIES
Four prominent founders share the
motivation behind the innovation
BY MONICA WATROUS

L

egume burgers that sizzle and bleed
like beef. Cashew cheese that melts
and stretches like mozzarella. Oat
milk that froths in a latte or churns into
ice cream.
Disruptive innovation at the startup level has played a major role in the
burgeoning plant-based foods movement,
as emerging brands such as Beyond Meat
and Califia Farms redefine dietary staples
for the mainstream palate.
"Where we are today is that consumers expect that there will be substitution
without sacrifice," said Darren Seifer,
executive director and industry analyst of
food consumption at The NPD Group and
based in New York.
A barrage of new meat and dairy
alternatives is capturing consumer imaginations and dollars in a way traditional
tofu or soymilk never could, fueling a retail market that surged 11% to $4.5 billion
last year, while total retail food sales in the
United States inched up 2%, according to
data from the Good Food Institute and the

Meet the plant-based revolutionaries:
Ethan Brown, Beyond Meat
Greg Steltenpohl, Califia Farms
Josh Tetrick, Eat Just
Miyoko Schinner, Miyoko's Creamery
6

Food Business News

Plant Based Foods Association.
Americans continue to consume
record amounts of meat each year, and
the proportion of vegetarians and vegans
remains small - about 5% of the U.S.
population. But a growing number of
consumers are incorporating more meat
and dairy alternatives into their diets
because they view the options as healthier
than animal products, Mr. Seifer said. To
a lesser extent, consumers are adopting
occasional plant-based eating due to
concerns related to animal welfare and
climate change.
Sales of plant-based milks, which
include alternatives based on almonds,
coconut, soy, hemp and oats, grew 6%
over the past year and now account for
13% of the entire milk category, while
cow's milk sales declined 3%, according
to the Good Food Institute and the Plant
Based Foods Association. The plantbased meat category grew by 10% and
is now worth more than $800 million.
Plant-based meats equated to 2% of retail
packaged meat sales, with refrigerated
plant-based meat growing 37%. Sales
in the conventional meat category, in
contrast, grew by 2%.
Barclays analysts last year predicted
the global meat-alternative market will
reach $140 billion over the next decade,
equating to approximately 10% of the $1.4
trillion meat industry.

Taste and convenience are drivers
of the broader adoption of plant-based
alternatives. Another factor is marketing.
Only recently has "plant-based" become
a buzzword, appealing to omnivores who
may have overlooked or rejected products
featuring a vegan label. Ninety per cent
of plant-based foods consumers also eat
meat, Mr. Seifer said.
Additionally, the term "plants"
connotes health to many consumers, Mr.
Seifer said, even as some view certain
plant-based products on the market as
unhealthy or overly processed.
The Center for Consumer Freedom, a
meat industry-backed nonprofit based in
March 3, 2020
Food Entrepreneur - March 3, 2020

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