One in three consumers of plant-based food are looking for better tasting products according to research done by Kerry.
With the European plant-based market growing and expected to reach a value of €18.3bn by the year 2023, Kerry has undertaken research among regular consumers of plant-based products, which revealed 37% want better tasting products, while 26% want a better range and 28% want better textured products. 50% of respondents, however, view plant-based products as healthier than meat.
37% of plant-based protein consumers in Europe want better tasting products
The research suggested though sustainabilty and animal welfare concerns are important motivators, product quality is key to plant based foods gaining greater traction.
Darren O’Sullivan, Director of Plant-Protein at Kerry, said: “Manufacturers need to deliver innovative and creative solutions to meet consumer needs and win in this space. We are seeing the emergence of the flexitarian consumers, who are unwilling to accept anything less than a delicious product. This means that products really need to taste great order to succeed.
“With the market growing at a rapid pace, brands want to capitalise on the rising demand for plant-based foods. However, in order to stand out in the marketplace, they need to make sure that plant-based foods provide nutrition, functionality and great taste, and are sustainably produced.”
More details on the research can be found in Kerry’s new eBook, which contains the key information that brands need to know to create winning plant-based products.
“Innovating in the plant-based food space can be challenging in many ways, from complex processing procedure to the cost of creating a product to the time it takes to launch to market. For these reasons, failure rates are high for launches of new vegan products. Our new eBook contains a breadth of information from our experts, as well as exclusive proprietary research, insights, and an innovation framework to help manufacturers successfully launch a product,” adds Mr O’Sullivan.
