A newly released report by NIRAS, the UK’s biggest food and beverage manufacturing consultancy, has indicated that additional funding for sustainable mass manufacturing processes is essential to meet the increase in demand for alternative protein sources. The report, titled “Alternative proteins: Responding to the growing consumer focus on Planet Health,” examines evolving consumer diets and the effect of the rising popularity of alternative protein sources on the food and beverage manufacturing sector.
NIRAS’ analysis shows that macroeconomic challenges (such as sustained high levels of inflation and energy prices) have the potential to impede the growth of the sector, making it crucial to expand sustainable manufacturing processes and supply chains to scale. Though reduced discretionary consumer spending poses a short-term risk to the alternative protein sector’s growth, NIRAS suggests that adopting a central focus on “Planet Health,” driven by changing consumer attitudes and the ascent of purpose-driven leaders in boardrooms, is necessary to promote innovation and help producers develop their sustainable production capabilities.
As the sector adapts to increasing demand for alternative protein sources, food and beverage manufacturers must invest in advanced technologies and manufacturing facilities to achieve sustainable and scalable production. Matthew Carr, Business Unit Director at NIRAS, explains, “Long-term resistance to changing habits will wane as both the number of protein alternatives and the quality of product continues to improve. The market is already on a journey to overcome many of these challenges, and the impact of their influence over consumers will only diminish with time.”
Investing in manufacturing capabilities, according to Carr, will improve scale and drive cost efficiencies, lowering prices for the consumer and aligning them more closely with traditional animal-derived sources of protein. The report emphasizes that sustainable manufacturing is swiftly becoming a “license to operate,” with opportunities for manufacturers and brands that can develop their processes and supply chains to ensure that the means of taking ingredients from field to fork are as sustainable as the products themselves.
The report also discusses the growing diversity of alternative protein sources used by the food and beverage manufacturing sector. Nigel Devine, Associate Director at NIRAS, remarks, “Not only is the sector at the cutting edge of technology – which is being implemented to create new protein sources – but we are also seeing existing protein sources used in new and exciting ways. The mainstreaming of both non-animal-derived proteins such as seaweed and animal-derived proteins such as insects and jellyfish are prime examples of the sector innovating to create and manufacture products in a much more sustainable manner.”
Innovative new protein sources give food and beverage manufacturers greater options and ingredients to produce more appealing goods. This, in turn, will help address some of the stigma regarding the quality and limited choice of plant-based products, while also lowering costs for the consumer at scale.
To learn more about alternative protein trends, challenges, and opportunities from a manufacturing perspective, and to download the report, click here.
