For Planteneers, clean label is not simply a matter of replacing individual ingredients.
It depends on the right balance of raw materials, functionality and processing expertise to deliver plant-based alternatives with the taste, texture and naturalness that consumers expect.
Clean label for plant-based snacks
In the meat and sausage alternatives category, functional systems from the Planteneers fiildMeat line enable clean label concepts for snacks and mini meals.
One system based on wheat protein can be used for meatballs, smash burgers, beef jerky and new product ideas.
Manufacturers can incorporate ingredients such as mushrooms for umami flavour or visible vegetable pieces including peppers, carrots, and sweetcorn, while also developing higher-fibre or higher-protein concepts.
Trend-driven flavour profiles, from Mexican and Asian styles to Mediterranean, curry and garden vegetable recipes, support a broad range of applications.
Planteneers also offers a wheat-protein system for clean-label salami alternatives.
It uses synergies between ingredients to create the characteristic bite and texture of salami and is suitable for cold cuts, salami sticks, snack salami, and heat-resistant pizza toppings.
High-protein, chorizo-style and pepperoni-style concepts further expand the range.
At Planteneers, clean label means formulations that do not require the declaration of E-numbers. The “No additives” claim indicates that products are free of selected additives such as preservatives, flavour enhancers or added artificial flavourings.
Focus on methylcellulose and carrageenan
Beyond clean label in general, individual ingredients are receiving greater attention. In meat and sausage alternatives, one of these is methylcellulose.
Planteneers therefore offers systems that are not only free from declarable additives but also from methylcellulose, enabling manufacturers to meet demand for more natural plant-based alternatives without compromising taste or texture.
For dairy alternatives, Planteneers has developed declaration-friendly systems that work without carrageenan.
“Carrageenan is a highly effective tool for stabilising texture and mouthfeel in plant-based milk and yoghurt alternatives,” explains Dr Pia Meinlschmidt (pictured), Head of Product Management at Planteneers.
“However, consumers are critical of this ingredient, as it is strongly associated with highly processed foods and controversial health debates, regardless of its proven safety on the regulatory side. Therefore, for many consumers, "carrageenan-free" can be a more tangible message than a general clean label claim.”
Declaration-friendly dairy alternatives
The fiildDairy NEB series includes a carrageenan-free functional system for hybrid and fully plant-based mixed milk beverages in various flavours.
Hybrid concepts can contain up to 50% less dairy milk while maintaining the same fat content and a full dairy-like taste.
Fully plant-based versions can be based on almonds, rice, oats, or buckwheat, with protein levels adjusted to match conventional milk or support high-protein concepts.
Additional carrageenan-free systems include solutions for plant-based pudding alternatives, including high-protein varieties with up to 10% protein, using bases such as oats, coconut and soya.
Planteneers has also developed a clean label concept for plant-based ice cream, enabling lactose-free, fibre-rich products with authentic dairy ice cream texture, less sugar, and no declarable E-numbers, additives, or flavourings.
Together, these examples show that clean label is about more than shorter ingredient lists. Success depends on combining selected raw materials, functional expertise, and processing know-how to deliver plant-based products with convincing taste and texture.
