Plant-Based Trends to Watch in 2023

If your 2023 wellness resolutions include a shift to more meatless meals, you aren’t alone. You also have more available food options than ever before.??

According to The Good Food Institute, (a 501 nonprofit organization that promotes plant- and cell-based alternatives to animal products), plant-based food sales grew three times faster than those for non-plant based foods in 2021. What’s more, the retail marketing for plant-based food in 2022 was worth USD7.4 billion – USD5.5 billion more than in 2019.??

“I think the idea that plant-based foods are a ‘trend’ or ‘fad’ will actually start to fade,” says YPO member Timo Recker , Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Next Gen Foods, which produces TiNDLE, an award-winning plant-based chicken alternative. “Right now, plant-based meat is largely considered a niche product, designed for vegan and vegetarian diners. But we’re seeing a slow, but steady shift to consumers eating plant-based foods on more regular occasions.”??

This was not the case five or 10 years ago, Recker says. But he credits the improvements companies are making as they design plant-based food — specifically, that they taste good.????

So, what’s the business behind this delicious and growing sector? And what do we need to keep our eyes on? We tapped industry leaders who are also YPO members to fill us in.????

It’s more than burgers and nuggets??

“All categories of plant-based products are improving [and] companies big and small are working on new products every day,” says T.K. Pillan , Founding Partner of Powerplant Partners and Founder + Executive Chairman, Veggie? Grill.??

One of the emerging plant-based categories is eggs in liquid, scramble and patty form. Two of Pillan’s investments at Powerplant, JUST Egg and Zero Egg (whose egg product is comprised of water, mung bean protein isolate and canola oil, plus a variety of spices, natural flavors and thickeners), are leading the charge and getting these products in coffee shops, breakfast-focused restaurants and campus cafeterias. He also points to a steak product recently launched by Beyond Meat, Impossible Food’s new chicken product, and a new vegan bacon and croissant in a new croissant BLT sandwich at Veggie Grill, as just a few more examples of innovation.??

Helene Raudaschl , Chairman and Founder of Indoguno Productions, a food manufacturer based in Dubai, UAE, is unique in the plant-based industry because her company sources meat, dairy, poultry and seafood alongside dry goods and beverages. But she was inspired by her son’s interest in veganism after he researched the health benefits while serving in the Singapore Army.??

“Cooking for my son, I thought, ‘Oh my God, it's really a pain to find a variety of delicious plant-based products in the marketplace, and I don’t want my son to eat just burgers and nuggets all the time,’” she remembers. “I thought there must be people like me out in the world, who might want a couple of vegan meal options, but don’t want the hassle of cooking everything from scratch.”

So Raudaschl founded Arlene, a line of plant-based ready meals inspired by global cultures. They sell everything from kebabs and falafel to dumplings and Dan Dan noodles, that go from freezer to microwave to plate in just a few minutes.??

But it’s more than just variety where we are seeing innovation, companies are now leaning on impressive technology to create new plant-based products.??

“3D scanning and printing technology allow TiNDLE to match the shapes and texture found in animal-based chicken products,” says Recker. He says this is especially important when creating items like tenders or wings which are popular with consumers because of their convenient and irregular shapes, which usually come from the irregularities of poultry chicken itself.?

“This exploration and innovation are just the beginning for us too. We’ve been able to replicate the chicken that consumers today are familiar with and love, but in the future, we can continue to explore how technology improves the overall plant-based chicken experience – from taste to texture and mouthfeel,” he says.??

The key is collaboration??

Another strength of the plant-based market is that companies are committed to working with each other as well as the right tastemakers to ensure a quality customer experience.??

Pillan’s Veggie Grill is a fast-casual restaurant chain with a menu that is 100% plant-based. It features items you’d expect to find such as salads and wraps, but also burgers, sandwiches, and macaroni and cheese. They do this by working with cutting-edge suppliers such as Impossible Foods, Daiya (which makes dairy-free cheese), Good Catch (which makes plant-based seafood products), and TiNDLE. They now have 35 locations in the United States and were named as one of Fast Company’s 2022 Brands That Matter.??

The spirit of collaboration is also found in plant-based producers who harness the talents of chefs to help them ideate and market their products.??

“Because chicken is such a universal protein and can be a perfect protein base for many types of dishes, we’ve seen chefs and restaurant partners use TiNDLE in a wide variety of applications,” says Recker. “With the exchange of recipe ideas and information thanks to social media, the chefs we’ve spoken to across Asia and Europe, along with the U.S. and Middle East, are all coming up with really fun and delicious dishes that fuse flavors and techniques together.”?

Some of the more unique dishes he’s seen come from their restaurant partners include a TiNDLE take on the classic Beef Wellington, sushi, crispy schnitzel, baos, satay and dumplings.?

Raudaschl also works with restauranteurs and hotels to fill a need for chefs who might want to provide a vegan option to appeal to growing consumer demand, but don’t have the resources to commit to multiple, from-scratch menu offerings. To reduce waste, chefs can use Arlene products (that Raudaschl says she created to be of restaurant quality anyways) as part of main menu items.???

Meat-ing consumers where they are is good business??

From her position of working with both animal protein plant-based products, Raudaschl says the cost of producing something with meat substitutes might be a little more expensive, but that it’s important to look at alternative options regardless.??

Recker, and his TiNDLE investors agree. “What we’ve seen from many of our investors is that they’re committed to the food space because of its tangible results,” he says. “If we can find alternatives to animal protein, as a primary food source, then we’ll be able to decrease our dependence on animal agriculture and conventional meat production.”??

It also comes down to supply and demand. Plant-based food, as the statistics prove, is also what the consumers are increasingly craving.??

Pillan points to education about the health benefits such as reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer, as well as consumer-focused documentaries such as “Game Changers” and “Forks over Knives” as well as the environmental impact of this shift as proof that this trend is here to stay.??

“All credible sources including the United Nations now tout that eating primarily plant-based is one of the most impactful actions we can all take to support the sustainability of the planet,” he says. “The food business is not easy or for the faint of heart, but because of the positive impact on people, the planet and the animals, I felt compelled to take the leap.”?

?Raudaschl knows it’s not possible for every human on the planet to commit to a wholly vegan diet, but she still sees benefits in providing meals and moments that are meat-free.???

“We want to change the perception and say, ‘Hey, you can be a flexitarian.’ You can consciously eat less meat, which is good from a health point of view. And if we all participate and eat just one or two meat-free vegan meals a week it helps the environment. If everybody in the world would consciously do that, we’d see change right?”

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About the Author:

Mary Mack is a writer and digital content strategist. She earned her news-editorial journalism degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and has a background covering arts, culture, food and entrepreneurship. She is a proud St. Louisan who enjoys cooking, reading and sharing the stories of interesting and inspiring people.