Could links to longevity boost plant-based sales?

Once the darling of the food and beverage world, the plant-based trend has slowed, raising questions about a potential decline. But new research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, highlights the benefits of plant-based proteins, even going so far as to link their consumption to longevity.

What are the benefits of a plant-based diet?

Plant-based diets have previously been linked to a number of potential benefits, including slowing cancer progression, preventing chronic diseases in women, reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and improving gut health. So, this new link to longevity will likely strengthen consumer confidence in the dietary style as a means to achieve better health.

How is a plant-based diet good for longevity?

Research, carried out by Dr Neal D Barnard, founding president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, reveals that plant proteins contain all nine amino acids, essential for human health. This helps to dispel a common misconception regarding plant-based proteins.

But why does this new information link plant-based diets to longevity?

“Plant-based proteins are associated with reduced mortality compared with animal proteins,” says Dr Barnard. “A major Harvard study showed that when plant-based proteins are consumed instead of protein from beef, poultry, fish, dairy products, or eggs, mortality is reduced. Many people are now shifting to plant-based diets, and their nutrition improves in the process.”

“Longevity is becoming increasingly popular with consumers,” Richard Cope, sustainability expert and senior trends consultant for Mintel, told FoodNavigator. “And plant-based diets help with longevity.”

What are the negatives of a plant-based diet?

Despite the links to potential health benefits, plant-based has also received backlash from consumers, with the industry linked to ultra-processing methods, which have received negative press.

“Today, health is driving the category, with half of consumers (49%) concerned that meat alternatives are too processed, a concern heightened by the ever-growing scrutiny of ultra-processed foods," Christopher Kong, CEO and co-founder of Better Nature, told FoodNavigator. "Instead, they’re looking for wholefood products with nutritional benefits such as high protein and gut friendly.”

Consumers have also cited affordability as a major barrier to their adoption of the diet,

Consumer perception that plant-based products are more expensive than animal-based is proving powerful in preventing them from making the switch. But more importantly, that view is not without foundation, with non-profit organisation, the Good Food Institute, stating that, “plant-based options are currently priced at a significant premium across categories.”

This poses a barrier to consumers across Europe who are already facing financial challenges resulting from the cost-of-living crisis.

“The cost-of-living crisis has had an effect on consumer spending habits - the first items to go are often those in a higher price bracket which includes plant-based meat substitutes,” Maisie Stedman, media and public relations officer for the Vegan Society, told FoodNavigator.

Furthermore, figures from the Vegan Society show that 28% of students believe a vegan diet to be too expensive for them, highlighting that affordability has potential to influence the spending habits of the next generation of consumers too.

However, while the cost of plant-based products such as meat-free burgers and sausages remains an issue, it appears that other plant-based products, such as beans and lentils, are more affordable and proving more popular.

“Our Live Vegan for Less campaign found a third of shoppers were cutting back on meat and dairy products in response to cost-of-living, whilst our cost comparison research across the major supermarkets, showed that vegan sources of protein, such as dried lentils, peanut butter and baked beans continued to be the cheapest options,” adds Stedman. “Both non-vegans and vegans may be replacing meat and meat-substitutes with more budget-friendly vegan options in a bid to make savings on their weekly shops.”

The plant-based industry is also acutely aware of the ‘cost barrier’ to plant-based adoption and is working to tackle the issue of affordability.

“We are looking to be a much lower in cost,” said Frankie Fox, CEO at plant-based seafood brand FoodSquared, while speaking at the recent Future of Fish event in London. “At least price parity, or lower, at scale.”

And this view is echoed across the plant-based seafood industry.

“If you want people, who would otherwise eat fish, to substitute that once or twice a week, it needs to not cost them twice as much,” agrees Zac Austin, co-founder and CEO at plant-based seafood brand, Pacifico Biolabs.

Taste and texture​ of plant-based proteins have also proven to be challenging and have deterred some consumers, as Julia Besselink, a nutritionist for meat and dairy alternatives at DSM-Firmenich, told FoodNavigator.

“The addition of the vitamin and minerals causes very minimal to no sensory impact on the dairy alternative products. Yet omega 3s can be a bit more challenging as these have fatty acids prone to oxidation which can bring and off flavours.”

How can the plant-based industry benefit from longevity link?

Health and wellness are becoming major consumer trends so linking a plant-based diet to longevity is a clear win for the industry. However, equally strong is the consumer concern over ultra-processing methods in the food and beverage industry.

Switching to more natural products, while highlighting the proven links to longevity will prove popular with consumers and could well turn the decline of plant-based sales around.

Source: Guidance on Energy and Macronutrients across the Life Span

Published online: 10 April 2024

DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra2214275

Authors: Steven B. Heymsfield, Sue A. Shapses