Innovatia

Flexitarian: The new diet shaping the future of food People who sometimes choose plant-based food instead of meat are spearheading the demand for ‘alternative proteins’ – and the trend could present an opportunity for Australian grain growers. By Dr Simon Eassom , Executive Director of Food Frontier F lexitarian. It’s the relatively new breed of diet that is forecast to grow faster than vegetarianism and veganism. Flexitari- Flexitarians are meat eaters who occasional- ly swap out animal meat for plant-based foods. Research shows one in four Australians are lim- iting their meat consumption due to concerns about health and the environment, alongside the costs of meat. Instead, they are turning to ‘alternative proteins’. ans are behind the demand for plant-based meats—they are who manufacturers and retail- ers market these products to. They have influ- ence over food consumption trends now and in the future, and they rely on primary production for their meals.

350 products in the market, the plant-based meat industry is forecast to produce 169,000 tonnes of end product by 2030. This is good news for grain growers who are interested in supplementing the international commodity market. In addition to forecast domestic ingre- dient needs, there is increasing demand inter- nationally for high-quality protein isolates for plant-based meats and a range of other foods (whey, protein bars, sports powders) that use protein powders made from grain. But the full potential of the market can’t be realised without enough infrastructure. Pro- viding market opportunities for domestic pulse and legume growers isn’t possible without in- vestment in more plant protein processing in- frastructure. There is currently just one operational pulse fractionation factory in the country, Australi- an Plant Proteins in Victoria, which got off the ground after receiving support from the Aus- tralian Government. It is expanding into South Australia in 2024. Co-founder and Executive Di- rector Phil McFarlane has said: “We could have 10 of these factories in Australia and still not meet demand.” The factory aims to process 6,000 tonnes of protein isolates each year from local growers, supplying domestic and interna- tional manufacturers. With enough infrastructure in place and a growing number of consumers looking for pro- tein choices, the burgeoning plant protein mar- ket is an opportunity for growers to diversify re- liance on the international commodity market. Cultivated meat’s imminent arriva l Another alternative protein that start-ups, in- vestors, researchers, and governments are get-

ting behind is cultivated meat. Also called cul- tured meat, it could be commercially available in Australia in 2024. It is made using a small cell sample from one animal to make tonnes of an- imal meat in a brewery-like food factory. Gov- ernments in countries that don’t have a lot of land and/or rely on imported food and ingredi- ents are viewing cultivated meat as a solution to growing protein demand. According to con- sultancy firm McKinsey and Company, it could be worth up to $25 billion globally by 2030. “Flexibility and freedom are the hallmarks of 21st century life in the first world, and calling cards behind the popularity of the aptly-named flexitarianism.” There are two Australian companies on the precipice of bringing cultivated meat products to market: Sydney-based Vow (which is target- ing a niche, high-end market) lodged an appli- cation with standards authority FSANZ to ap- prove cultivated quail for sale; and Melbourne’s Magic Valley, which hosted a pork tasting this year. It aims to produce competitively-priced cultivated meat for mainstream consumers— its minced cultivated meat costs $33 per kilo- gram to make, and the company aims to get that down to $3.30 a kilo. Cultivated meat can be made from any ani- mal, and because its environment can be ma- nipulated it can be made to contain nutrients

Alternative proteins are currently dominat- ed by plant-based meats, however, in five to 10 years, this sector will be made up of radical new foods, made by new food producers with The current dominant Western alternative pro- tein is plant-based meat. Deloitte Access Eco- nomics predicts that plant-based meat—which relies on base ingredients such as pulses and legumes – will generate almost $3 billion in do- mestic consumer sales by 2030. From a base of just four producers in Austral- ia five years ago to 25 in 2023 and more than job titles that are as yet unheard of. Grains: Fuel for plant-based meats

INNOVATIA

384

INNOVATIA

| Health & Wellbeing

385