Protein power from plant power
In addition to meat and milk, consumers are increasingly focussing on plant-based alternatives. A panel discussion at Grüne Woche took up the topic.
If Dr Alexander Stephan has his way, the future of nutrition will be plant-based. The consultant specialises in innovations in the food industry, particularly alternative sources of protein. These include mushrooms and pulses as well as oilseeds, algae and insects. These raw materials enable sustainable, cycle-orientated production. They meet ethical requirements as well as health requirements, he argued during a panel discussion at the ErlebnisBauernhof on Monday, 20 January 2025.
Ferment on trend
However, there are still many unanswered questions: Are the products sufficiently supplied with micronutrients? Which crops are suitable for domestic agriculture? At the same time, it is worth looking abroad. Processes that have been tried and tested in Asia for centuries, such as fermentation, provide new approaches for the development of new products. One example from Grüne Woche: Esencia Foods UG will be presenting vegan meat and vegan fish made from mycelium - a fungal protein obtained through fermentation - during the Startup Days on 21 and 22 January 2025 in Hall 27.
Closing price gaps
Alexander Liedke, responsible for the CSR strategy in purchasing at Lidl, reported that the price difference between animal and plant-based products has largely been eliminated at the discounter. For example, a vegan burger patty costs about the same as one made from meat. This gives customers a choice. In addition to vegan alternatives, including unusual items such as caviar and spare ribs, the product range was designed with a focus on animal welfare and more wholemeal products, orientated towards ‘planetary boundary nutrition’, i.e. a climate-friendly diet.
Classics reinterpreted
Professor Dr Ute Weisz, Head of the Department of Plant Protein and Plant Nutrition at the Technical University of Munich, is currently observing an increasing focus on the nutrient content of plant-based products and gentle processing. Milk and meat have a significantly higher protein quality than plant-based alternatives. In order to make vegan proteins digestible, a high degree of processing is often necessary. Michael Wendland from cheese producer Alpenhain presented a vegan Obatzda from his Pflanzenkraft brand for tasting, the texture of which is indeed reminiscent of Camembert cream. However, the ‘Opflanzda’ consists of vegetable fats and field bean protein.
Trade fair visitors can discover other plant-based products in the Free From Area in Hall 1.2, where Omami (photo), for example, offers tofu made from chickpeas. But vegans will also get their money's worth in the other halls: In Hall 21, Stand 230, Hülsenreich from Leipzig offers protein-rich snacks made from chickpeas.
