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do to keep increasing sales? And what man, the company is developing an in-
barriers and obstacles could potential- novative solution to one of the biggest
ly derail this love story? challenges facing plant-based product
Getting a solid handle on the pros- formulators: achieving the diary-like
pects of plant-based—or indeed any level of creaminess.
category—is tricky right now. Growth As TTM states, inside the plants
of meat-free and plant-based dairy sales exist natural and highly stable fat drop-
accelerated in retail in 2020, but the data lets and they know how to extract those
is muddied by the pandemic. “It’s hard and develop fat ingredients with similar
to say exactly how much of the growth properties to milk fat.
we’ve seen this year is COVID-related Being inspired by nature’s unri-
and how much isn’t,” says Thijs Geijer, valled engineering, TTM has developed
senior food sector economist at ING. food processing designs based on the
“Some of it is underlying category preservation of the naturally occurring fat
growth and some is down to people droplets inside the plants, called Oleo-
spending more time at home and con- somes. Olesome’s unique structure (a fat
suming in the home.” droplet with a very strong membrane)
Nevertheless, he expects plant- makes them the ideal milk fat equivalent
based to keep growing. ING forecasts with a great potential for creamy plant-
meat and dairy alternatives to be worth based dairy. The approach is as simple as
7.5 billion EUR in Europe in 2025. That’s it is ingenious: using this perfected
up from4.4 billion in 2019. Kantar con- through the millennia technology and
sumer insight director also dismisses the omit any need for mixing and stabilizing.
idea COVID will curb the movement. All that is needed is to extract
“There was an element of uncertainty Oleosomes with fairly simple process-
in the spring of 2020, when people ing steps using only water without
were reverting to old habits, but since breaking them.
we’ve become used to this new way of The advantages of such a process
living, plant-based categories have will be:
For consumers who want the been able to play into that.” · Resource- and cost-efficiency;
On top of this, there are ethical Plant-based Growth
nutritiousness and tastiness of · No additional emulsifiers nor
concerns when it comes to the treatment
a nut milk but without the Solving the Main Issue mixing is required;
of some cattle during dairy farming. It While reports of the imminent
environmental impacts of
almond farming, the hazelnut is standard dairy farming practice to demise of dairy remain greatly exagger- · Completely natural fat droplets
To date plant-based alternatives (Green label, no E-numbers);
is a rising star. separate calves from their mothers with- ated—plant-based, despite its success,
have mostly developed consumer prod- · High protein content. Proteins
in 24 hours of birth, as this allows farm- is still tiny in comparison—the boom is
ucts, but there are many start-ups are co-extracted with Oleosomes. Fat
ers to sell the milk that the calves would impossible to ignore. The meat-free and
emerging to renovate the industry. One soluble vitamins (e.g. vitamin E) are
otherwise drink. However, this can be plant-based dairy categories have in
such start-up is Time-traveling Milk- maintained inside the droplets.
extremely distressing for both calf and essence doubled in size over the past
mother, while the calves are sometimes five years and are now worth just under
shot or sold for veal or beef, according £600m each (Kantar 52 w/e 4 Dec 2016
to Compassion in World Farming. vs 29 Nov 2020).
Despite being preferable to dairy, No wonder corporates are lining
there are well-cited concerns, from the up to declare their commitment to the
impact of excessive almond farming on cause. Tesco has pledged to hike sales
the bee population, to reports about the of meat alternatives by 300% by 2025;
destruction of the Amazon rainforest in Unilever wants global plant-based Sometimes it might seem a bit odd
our quest for soya (it should be noted sales to hit one billion EUR a year. But
that much of the soya is for animal feed), as more players rush into the sector, to see major dairy players to launch
meaning the world of plant-based milk is there really enough consumer appe- plant-based drinks.
isn’t as clear cut as we may have been tite to sustain this level of growth?
led to believe. What do brands and retailers need to

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