www.foodtechnology.co.nz 5
NOT
MEAT
BUT
KIWIMADE
Life Health Foods spokesperson
Mark Roper says
eco-conscious millennial
consumers are reshaping demand
for alternative sources of protein,
and a nationwide survey commissioned
by the country’s largest
manufacturer of vegetarian foods
shows millennials aged 18 to 34
are the target market to adopt a
mostly meat-free diet in the next
decade. Life Health Foods - which
makes plant-based Bean Supreme
and recently launched Alternative
Meat Co. products - says growing
concern for the environment is
leading this demographic to seek
out other options to integrate into
their diet. “Among this age group,
factors such as concern for animal
welfare and the environment
were some of the most important
drivers of purchase choice,”
Roper says, “whereas if you look
at older consumers, health considerations
and cost of meat were
the primary reasons for choosing
vegetarian foods.” New Zealand is
well positioned to take advantage
of this emerging trend - which has
seen accelerated growth in the
global meat substitute market.
“Our research is showing that
many consumers are not completely
replacing meat in their
diet - instead, they are integrating
more meat-free options throughout
the week. This makes development
of a plant protein market
complementary to our existing
agricultural exports.” Roper says
the new consumer-driven trend
is something that farmers should
not fear, but rather capitalise on.
“As a producer we are looking at
this growth as a promising future
market. As well as a growth industry
globally, there is increasing
demand for these products in the
more well-established markets of
the US and Europe, where there
are potentially large export opportunities
for us.” At the same time,
New Zealand is well positioned
as a producer nation to capitalise
on millennial’s demand for plantbased
products. “As a country, we
have a strong agricultural research
base, we are great at growing
crops here, and the development
of a more environmentally friendly,
alternative protein market will
potentially enhance the ‘pure NZ’
brand equity,” Roger says. “With
demand for meat alternatives expected
to grow significantly in the
coming years, we are looking at
other sources of protein that have
similar texture and taste to meat,
and that can be developed into
added value products for the domestic
and export markets. Plants
like pea, soy, mushrooms and
even seaweed can be made into
products with similar properties to
meat and food companies around
the world are investing millions
of dollars to be at the forefront of
this,” he says. The local market
for vegetarian food is developing
quickly, with growth exceeding
20% per annum. Roper says his
company’s recently launched
Alternative Meat Co. has exceeded
initial volume expectations to
the point where production has
been expanded. “Around 80%
of our added value vegetarian
products that are sold in New
Zealand are made here,” he says.
“With increased demand locally
and globally, greater volumes of
ingredients will be required from
suppliers to meet this opportunity.”
www.lhffoodservice.co.nz
New Zealand is well
positioned to lead
the world in the meat
substitute niche…and
farmers should not fear
the consumer-driven
trend but embrace it
for full capitalisation.
INNOVATION
/www.foodtechnology.co.nz
/www.lhffoodservice.co.nz
