Plant Based & Vegetarian

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Globally, food and drink launches containing microalgae experienced average annual growth of more than 40% during a recent three-year period. Trends in plant-based proteins from the sea—as well as new technologies to produce seafood without the sea—also overlap with our second 2024 trend, “Nurturing Nature.” Indeed, both seafood companies and technology innovators can be ocean guardians.

Today, it’s hard to keep up with the dramatic evolution of protein ingredients that fall under the umbrella of plant-based. This includes the growing numbers of ingredients that are not even based on plants. Here’s a brief look at current trends that help define movement in plant-based ingredients, followed by predictions for the future of alternative proteins.

The company is introducing TiNDLE Stuffed Chicken products this year – with initial offerings such as Chicken Parmigiana and Garlic & Herb – marking the next step in bringing bold flavors to home chefs. 

PalmAgility® 600 series compound coating fats (pictured) are a new line of patent-pending, specialty fats designed for a variety of applications including fillings, drizzling, enrobing and bottoming for bakery, snacks and confectionery products. 

Crafted with non-GMO, vegan ingredients, each GOOD PLANeT Olive Oil Cheese Slice has 0g of saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, and less than half the calories compared to dairy cheese. Most vegan cheeses are made with coconut oil, and therefore contain high amounts of saturated fat. 

The launch of Oscar Mayer NotHotDogs and NotSausages is the latest example of The Kraft Heinz Not Company’s ambition to bring plant-based innovations to market faster. Further, the launch marks another exciting step in the joint venture’s continued expansion of its plant-based portfolio.

Truly Grass Fed, a premium brand of sustainably-produced dairy products from the green fields of Ireland, expanded into a new category with the introduction of Truly Gluten Free Premium Irish Oat Milk.

AAK’s new AAK AkoVeg® 163-14 is a coconut oil and insoluble fiber flake offering that makes it possible for formulators to create a plant-based meat that contains less total fat and no cholesterol—yet offers similar visual appeal and cooking attributes as traditional marbled meat products.

Gluten-intolerant shoppers can dig into a mac and cheese that, like the classic, is nostalgic, savory, and creamy. Gluten Free Cheddy Mac tastes like the regular Cheddy Mac and packs 13g of protein and 4g of fiber per serving.

Prepared Foods talks clean label snack trends and technology with Simon Sacal, CEO of Solely Inc. Since 2018-2019, this La Jolla, Calif., company has converted upcycled fruits and vegetables into a growing line of snacks (bars, jerky, dried fruit), confections (gummies) and even meal/side dish offerings (pastas).