Meat-free Mondays Morph into Full-time Flexitarianism

Researching this topic, I’ve felt a bit like Alice going down the rabbit hole in Lewis Carroll’s fantastical novel. Because what’s happening in the meat-free, plant-based food space is a confluence of Millennial values, changing lifestyles, environmental activism, affordability, availability, changing tastes, developing technology, marketing, and bald-faced curiosity.?

As UFS SA Key Account Manager responsible for Chains, I’ve been very involved with UFS’ strategy to adapt to new trends in foodservice. Seeing how the Veggie Kings have taken off at Burger King has been interesting. I’ve seen hard-core carnivores devouring plant-based nuggets and burgers because they taste so good. And that’s where we’re at – meat-free options are increasingly tasty, available, and affordable.

Join me down the rabbit hole

The first concept to shift thinking is the ‘flexitarian’ diet. Coined by US nutritionist, Dawn Jackson Blatner in 2009, she advocated a healthy ‘flexible vegetarian’ diet. The diet focused on meat-free proteins like beans, legumes or eggs and included fruits, veggies, whole grains, dairy and seasonings. The idea was to gradually reduce, and not exclude, meat portions and increase meat-free days per week, at one’s own pace.?

In Blatner’s book, “The Flexitarian Diet,” a typical recipe might include five ingredients, one of which would be a protein. The protein could be legumes one day and chicken, fish or meat on another occasion, or the meal could easily be adapted for someone in the family who doesn’t eat animal products. The term and lifestyle was inclusive and brought more food groups to a diet, rather than taking any away. It also started busting the myth that meat-free meals were bland or terribly fussy to prepare.

This non-binary diet now represents 14% of consumers globally. Defining oneself as a ‘flexitarian’ is open to interpretation, but the most common definition is that animal protein – meat, fish or chicken – is excluded from the diet for at least one day a week.

However loose this definition may seem, the growth in the volume of alternative meat products gives an indication of how the trend has become a way of life. More people are eating meat-free diets on more days of the week.

With 89% of meat-free meals consumed by non-vegetarians and one in five people aiming to eat less meat, it’s plain to see where this US$20 billion market comes from.

Flexitarianism is a combination of concepts we’re familiar with. But what is the new stuff that flexitarians are eating? Much of it is still called sausages, patties and nuggets – but what are they made from?

What plant-based foods are taking the place of meat?

Defining things by what they’re not is an easy way of conveying that something is just that one ingredient or characteristic short of the original. Talk about meat-free burgers, ‘de-alc’ wine, and sugar-free sweets, and we know exactly what you mean.

In Poland, they’re making meat-free Pastrami. Ben & Jerry’s has vegan ice-cream. In the UK, UFS has built up a formidable presence in this market with The Vegetarian Butcher (TVB). I hear you say: That’s an oxymoron! But the name says it all, doesn’t it?

The Vegetarian Butcher describes what it does as ‘a food uprising’. TVB is “standing up for plant-based nutrition and the lifestyle benefits that come with it. We’re part of a movement to change the meat industry for the better good of our health, the planet and animal welfare.”

The origins of TVB are interesting. It was a meat-loving Dutch farmer, Jaap Korteweg, who started the ‘uprising’. He loved meat, its texture, and its juiciness. He still wanted to eat it, but he no longer wanted to sacrifice animals for that desire.

Have a look at TVB’s range of plant-based products to get an idea of the variety and quality of products available now. That’s the quantum of the change in availability thanks to a proliferation of meals and suppliers in the last five years.

Meat doesn’t have to be ‘meat’

Butcher Jaap wanted the texture and juiciness of meat. There’s the smell of a braai, the taste of bacon, and the texture of an aged rare steak, not to mention the nutritional motivations for consuming meat.

Although our senses of smell and taste are primarily what’s stimulated when we eat, we also ‘eat with our eyes’ and sense the texture of food.?

Plant-based protein products usually use vegetables and soy or wheat for substance. The ‘blenditarians’ have been promoting the practice of blending finely chopped mushrooms with meat for burgers and other dishes to decrease the proportion of meat consumed. Fleshy and filling, mushrooms have also been dried and sold as ‘biltong’ locally.

But the rising star in the vegetarian scene is jackfruit. With protein, calcium, iron, potassium, and vitamin B, and only 95 calories per cup, it’s a nutrition bomb. Although a relatively new sensation in the US, jackfruit has been a staple crop in India and Southeast Asia for thousands of years. It has a pungent, not particularly appetising aroma and a taste described as a banana crossed with a pineapple. It’s the texture and adaptability that’s bringing jackfruit to the table in high volumes. It can be eaten fresh and blended into smoothies. It can also be dried or roasted and used in everything from soups to chips to noodles, jams to juices, and even ice cream. Apparently, unripe jackfruit has a meaty taste and transforms into a savoury meat substitute similar to pulled pork when it’s cooked.

But it’s different in South Africa

With sizzling shisa’nyamas and smoky braais at every car wash, Builders Warehouse and suburban home, you can wonder whether this is really happening in South Africa. Yes, who is buying all those plant-based products that now take up a whole aisle in a middle-market retailer? Vegetarian options are a substantial and standard part of most menus and dedicated restaurants are no longer few and far between. That’s not to say South African consumers have turned their backs on meat. Being flexitarian means you just eat meat less often. If you like how it makes you feel and there are tasty, appealing alternatives out there, maybe your number of meaty meals will dwindle.

With more players in the market and a broader range of products, prices are more affordable and there are good value vegetarian options available.

Where is all this going?

To know where it’s going is to make the most of opportunities or anticipate them before someone else takes the gap.

Calling something plant-based instead of meat-free describes what the food is, rather than what it isn’t. But it doesn’t really get away from the fact that a lot of the plant-based protein products are things like burgers, patties, sausages, and mince. We know what those are and how to create a meal with them. When flexitarians start embracing tofu and paneer and making vegetarian meals with no meat meal as a model, that’ll be a whole new kettle of fish.?

In conclusion, there is an increasingly appetising, affordable range of plant-based products available at restaurants, QSR, chains and retail, even in South Africa. It’s a race for suppliers to satisfy consumers’ demand for meat-free alternatives. We can expect more new products and whole new concepts in the meat-free market as competitors settle into a long-distance pace.?

Robyn is Key Account Manager responsible for Chains, loves a juicy burger, and would rather chew on cardboard than tackle a ‘London’ steak. She has lived both a flexitarian and vegetarian lifestyle and has never been a big red meat eater. On top of working with UFS for 15 years in various roles, Robyn is a One Young World Ambassador and has been doing animal welfare for 25 years, currently hand-rearing 3 kittens. Connect with her on Linkedin here.?

References: The Vegetarian Butcher, Food Revolution [online], https://www.thevegetarianbutcher.co.uk/our-story.html - Date Accessed: 11 November 2022.