PLANT BASED DAIRY ALTERNATIVES 2022
January/February 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com · 19
Similarly, the global dairy-free ice cream market
was valued at $520 million in 2019 and is anticipated
to reach $805.3 million by 2027.2
The most common problems facing manufacturers
of plant-based products are similar to those
encountered with their dairy-based counterparts,
a sector Palsgaard has worked with for 100 years
across many global markets.
However, the sheer number of different proteins
and raw materials that can be used in plant-based
recipes also throws up some unique challenges, so in
many cases a bespoke solution is required.
Plant-based hits the mainstream
While COVID may have encouraged many consumers
to think carefully about their diets, plant-based eating
was hitting the mainstream long before its arrival.
For example, research in January 2020 showed
that UK consumers were increasingly choosing to eat
more meat-free dinners, with 29% of evening meals
believed to be vegetarian.3
There are clear signs that producers are being
more creative with their plant-based recipes, for example
by selecting from a wider pool of raw materials
and using them across a raft of applications. For
example, fava beans, often found in meat alternative
products, are now successfully being used as a base
for dairy-free ice cream. It all goes to show that this
market is still in its infancy, with huge opportunities
for innovation ahead.
Younger consumers are plant-based
heroes
One key point to note from Palsgaard’s research is
that purchase behaviour varies between age groups.
Sustainability is high on the agenda for younger
consumers but features much further down the list
for those aged over 55. Younger shoppers were also
far more likely to identify as flexitarian: 40.6% of
those aged 18-24 follow this diet, compared with just
32.9% of those aged over 65.
*Source: Palsgaard survey of 1,307 consumers in Mexico, France, Russia, USA, and Vietnam, September, 2021
/international-dairy.com
