As the demand for plant-based food products is growing steadily, more and more food companies are looking for ways to add more plant-based products to their offering. What challenges do companies face in veganising their product range and how can they overcome them? We asked Martine van Haperen, product developer at ProVeg, who has helped many companies in this journey.
Martine van Haperen is nutritionist, consultant and product developer working with ProVeg. This international non-profit organisation helps companies, governments and consumers in the transition to a plant-based food system. Van Haperen helps companies in the food and restaurant industry to develop new plant-based products, or to veganise their existing products by making them meat-, egg- and dairy-free.
Why is it so important that food companies develop plant-based products?
“It’s no longer sustainable to eat the amount of animal products we are currently eating worldwide. Our personal health is one reason: processed meats are linked to severe health risks, and yet around 60% percent of the proteins in our diet come from animal sources. The second reason is the growing world population, which is estimated to be around 9.2 billion people by 2050. It’s impossible to feed all these people with animal-derived sources. And the third reason to focus on plant-based food is the impact on the environment: the livestock industry is responsible for 15% of greenhouse gases worldwide, making it a significant contributor to environmental problems.”
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