Hamburg, June 2021
Convenience has been a strong driver in the food market for years, in retail as well as out of home. In recent months takeout and delivery models have experienced a tremendous boom. The operative term is “new work,” and home office and mobile working call for need-oriented solutions. Pizza is a great example. This familiar convenience classic is undergoing a new hype. Market research company Euromonitor International prognosticates global pizza market revenue growth of almost eleven percent this year, to 132.3 billion USD. For Eastern Europe the projected rate is 16 percent. And no wonder – pizza always works and is very versatile, from classics like pepperoni, ham and tuna, to new versions like white pizza, with sour cream instead of tomato sauce. The growing demand in this category also brings high potential for plant-based versions.
Vegan alternatives to pepperoni or tuna
With Planteneers’ compounds, manufacturers can offer the entire range of pizzas with purely plant-based ingredients, and so address the rising demand for plant-based convenience foods. The functional systems in the fiildMeat S range, for example, are ideal for making plant-based sausage products of all kinds, including vegan pepperoni and ham. The system is made without soy, and uses fava beans and peas as protein sources. Another plus point is that the products are very easily sliceable and the edges stay appetizingly fresh on the pizza, without burning.
The fiildTex D range offers a change of pace. This pea-based system lets manufacturers produce a plant-based tuna substitute that is as good on pizza as the fish original. For maximum pizza indulgence, fiildDairy CHG can be used to make plant-based alternatives to grated cheese. These are relatively easy to produce and have very good functional properties. They don’t stick during grating, have the ideal melting behaviour during baking, and stretch just like real pizza cheese. The cheese alternatives can be made in popular varieties like mozzarella and cheddar.
Strong growth in the deep frozen category
Pizza is just one example in the steadily growing deep frozen category. Lasagne is another big favourite. Here again, Planteneers offers the ingredients for purely plant-based products, from functional systems for plant-based bechamel sauce that is heating and heat-thaw stable, to plant-based cheese alternatives, to ground meat alternatives for the filling, the latter made with fiildMeat P series functional systems. Together with the appropriate texturate, industry partners can use these systems to make all the most popular ground meat products, from lasagna and bolognese sauce to burger patties. Thanks to innovative solutions using sunflower and fava bean protein, the final products can be made soy- and gluten-free.
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