The new future of food as medicine in the plant-based category

A panel of experts just testified to the US Congress about the impact of food on our health and how food can be our medicine. In fact, US consumers are buying plant-based products for health and as better-for-you options. How we better feed our bodies and nourish our physical selves has become a rallying cry in recent years, so food product development must dedicate resources to finding an answer to consumer needs.

Education is key for boosting consumer awareness of the benefits of superfoods, plant-based diets, and protein intake. In fact, 62.8% of registered dietitian nutritionists say the biggest misconception about plant-based proteins consumers have is that they are unsure how much protein is needed in their diets (Source: Pollack Communications). Another 20.9% percent of those dietitians believe consumers think all plant proteins are incomplete. Information such as this has given rise to a broad spectrum of organizations in the world promoting and educating consumers on nutrition and sustainable alternatives.

Companies pushing the limits on protein values and even adding vitamins and nutrients back into plant-based foods will lead the charge in the industry in the coming years. So many food brands are seeking the answers to taste, sustainability, and diet in one product. Finding a partner who understands all aspects of this formula will serve each food brand well. Stern-Wywiol Gruppe, a family-owned food ingredient company, and its various brands, can provide a great balance of ingredients and provide the collaborative approach to product development that brands look for.

In the US, the Stern-Wywiol brands of Planteneers and Hydrosol work as one team to promote and create with customers hybrid and animal-free alternatives to foods. Closing the gap between flexitarians and meat eaters, Planteneers has developed a stabilizing system already containing the plant protein component for meat alternatives. And when it comes to the ‘dairy’ segment, stabilizing vegan fermented foods is key differentiator for Planteneers. Hydrosol provides a boost for hybrid and traditional dairy products as well.

A sister-company of Planteneers and Hydrosol, SternVitamin, can also help when it comes to adding nutrients back into foods and beverages. Our American and German teams continually break ground on news ways to push the vitamin-focused trend forward while maintaining the taste, texture, and nutrition of plant-based foods so that consumers can enjoy and delight in doing something good for their bodies. And the Planteneers mission of enabling the food industry with delicious plant-based ingredient solutions to feed everyone sustainably requires this continued investment in innovation.

The US teams can work directly with customers at their new Customer Center of Excellence opening in June of 2024. This Aurora, IL facility features a full meat and dairy kitchen where we can collaborate with customers to develop products that boost the protein counts and maintain the texture in plant-based diets. So as the trend of healthier, more sustainable products continues it’s slow-yet-steady rise in the American consumers’ mind, food and beverage developers and ingredient suppliers must rise to the occasion. Continued consumer education, ingredient innovation, and taste enhancement will get us to a place where “food as medicine” can become our regular reality instead of a hopeful future.

Contact Us:

If you want to taste Planteneers’ texturizing and stabilizing ingredients and discover how good they taste, contact us at [email protected] or tell us more here: https://info.planteneers.com/FoodIsMedicineFutureNeeds.