The whiff of revolution from the dinner table

Looks like meat, tastes like meat

Plant-based means more vegetables and cereals – and less meat. But why make imitation meat in the first place? Why invest so much technology into pulling globular plant-based proteins together to look like sinuous muscle fibres? Why ferment these proteins with microbes such as fungi and bacteria? And why go through the complex process of producing bigger, juicier, more complex and more tender cuts and adding micronutrients like vitamin B12? Planted Foods has an oven-ready answer for these and other FAQs: “We humans are creatures of habit, as we all know. To have an impact on the planet, our eating habits need to change. The best way to do this is with a meat-like product that can be integrated into our eating habits.”

Focusing on future-proof solutions

The world’s population will be just under ten billion by 2050. If so many are to be fed without endangering the planet, food production as well as eating habits must radically change. This means less meat, sugar, and fewer eggs – and more vegetables, nuts, and legumes. In addition to the public sector, numerous NGOs in Switzerland are working to achieve this goal. One of them is the "Fourchette verte – ama terra" quality and health label for canteens, which applies to 17 cantons and aims to reduce meat and fish consumption, promote environmentally and animal-friendly food production, and minimise food waste. Tools such as Eaternity, which calculates the carbon footprint of canteen menu options, or Beelong, which scores foods on a scale from A to G, also help to improve sustainability for food caterers in care homes, hospitals, preschools, and companies.

Good examples of ways for municipalities and cantons to promote sustainable nutrition (document available in French, German and Italian): revue.link/menu

(DLA)

Meat alternatives from the supermarket giants

Meat analogues, i.e. plant-based products that mimic meat, seem to satisfy a consumer need. As far back as 1997, Migros began selling products made from Quorn, which is derived from a fermented, edible fungus. Its Cornatur brand was pioneering at the time. Meat substitutes have become increasingly popular of late, and we are seeing greater innovation, says Migros spokeswoman Carmen Hefti. Migros now has over 1,000 different vegan items in its range, of which meat and milk substitutes are the most popular, according to Hefti. Erstwhile niche products such as these have entered the mainstream. Coop has had a wide range of meat substitutes on its shelves – including own-brand Délicorn – since 2006.

With climate considerations in mind, the Swiss are rethinking their shopping and eating habits, as plant-based protein becomes more mainstream. However, it is fair to say that Switzerland remains a nation of meat eaters.

Bratwurst and schnitzel were among its first plant-based products. The supermarket currently offers over 2,000 vegetarian products, of which more than 1,800 are vegan, says Coop spokesman Caspar Frey. The retailer stocks over 100 vegan meat and fish alternatives, more than 50 milk alternatives, 40 vegan yoghurts, 20 vegan butters, and some 20 vegan cheese alternatives. Vegan milk alternatives are also finding favour among Migros customers, who have been able to buy soya drinks since 2010 and now have oat, rice, almond, soya, quinoa, chickpea, coconut and hazelnut beverages to choose from. In recent years, Migros has seen double-digit growth in non-dairy alternatives, says Hefti, without specifying precise sales figures. Coop also prefers to communicate in percentages. It says that vegan milk alternatives have gained market share over the last four years and now account for 18 per cent of total milk sales. Frey: “At present, more than one in seven milk products at Coop are vegan.”

For the sake of the planet

Are animal-based foods becoming less attractive to Swiss consumers? Are we all eating fruit and veg, and more specifically plant-based proteins, instead? Yes and no. According to the Plant-based Food Report published by Coop in January this year, 63 per cent of the Swiss population consciously choose to have a day without eating animal-based foods more than once a month. This is over 20 per cent more than ten years ago. Meanwhile, the first-ever Swiss Meat Substitutes Report by the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG), covering the Swiss retail sector from 2016 to 2020, says that sales of meat substitutes have risen sharply: from 60 million Swiss francs in 2016 to 117 million in 2020. They have almost doubled in four years, increasing by an average of 18.4 per cent each year. The biggest growth is in meat analogues, says the report.