Plant-based food sales are in a funk. Compounded by market oversaturation, the cost-of-living crisis and, some have even claimed, rising right-leaning rhetoric, the category’s sluggish performance pales in comparison to its glory days of the early 2020s and before. 

On price, plant-based was edging towards parity with its animal-based cousins in 2022​, but the post-pandemic cost-of-living hike threw any gains out of whack. This meant, when it came to cutting spend, most consumers culled plant-based – especially meat alternatives​ – from their shopping lists and diets.

Politically, plant-based is being viewed as a weapon, no less than in the US’s currently highly polarised political landscape. ‘Fake meat’, for example, has been used by the far-right as an example of the left’s threat to citizens’ rights to real meat, with some US politicians claiming plant-based companies are part of a “soy globalist” conspiracy bent on making meat illegal​.

These, among other factors, threw the market into a deeper state of flux when in 2023 a series of high-profile meat alternative brands, including Meatless Farm and Beyond Meat, either fell or faced collapse. Add to this consumers’ increasing sensitivity around ultra-processed foods, and it’s the perfect plant-based storm.

Plant-based ‘meat’ sales have bombed by at least 13% over the last two years, recent Good Food Institute (GFI) stats show. Other data outlets show similar declines across western markets where the category had previously been in growth, such as +21% between 2020 and 2022 to €5.8bn, according to the GFI.

Is the plant-based market still relevant?

So, how can plant-based regain its strength? What areas of innovation should plant-based manufacturers be focusing on? And should the cost of plant-based to consumers be lowered?

The good news is the plant-based market remains relevant, especially for meat alternatives. The data varies, but between a third and half of consumers are trying to eat less meat in 2024, HarrisX figures show. While environmental organisations like Madre Brava are pushing retailers to work harder too, urging European supermarkets to adopt 60% plant-based protein targets.

Despite challenging times brands also remain optimistic, such as Redefine Meat, whose co-founder Eschar Ben-Shitrit told FoodNavigator the business was gearing up to be the world’s largest ‘meat’ company​.

There are other pockets of hope too. In the UK, under the Plant Futures banner, retailers and manufacturers have joined forces with a view to kickstart the category into strong growth through a combined effort. The lost growth can be regained, says the organisation’s founder Indy Kaur.

“Brands are shifting their [sales] focus onto open omnivores rather than flexitarians and vegans as it’s a bigger dietary group,” she explains. “Open omnivores are meat eaters open to trying more plant-based food while reducing their meat consumption.” However, to build longevity, the category must appeal to meat eaters and “start to think about them more than ever”, she advises.

Plant-based taste can be an issue

According to Kaur, two factors let the plant-based category down – taste and apathy. “During Covid there was a natural uplift in sales, people were trailing plant-based more, but it was impossible to keep hold of all those new consumers. They lapsed because their needs weren’t met,” she argues.

In fact, according to the GFI, 51% of consumers who tried plant-based meat were not interested in eating it again because of the taste.

“People have had poor taste experiences and don’t want to come back to the category, but worse is they often can’t remember what product they’ve tried and by which brand, so there’s a need to build brands retention.”

There’s also an argument that many plant-based meat alternatives are ultra-processed, which Kaur acknowledges, nodding to “some nutritional issues”. Yet, another sector trailblazer bringing the industry together is Plant-Based Food Alliance founder Marisa Heath, who dismisses this as a big issue.

While Heath acknowledges the category does contain processed products, “there are positive ingredients like soya, which has decades of health nutrition and science behind it and we should be making the benefits clear around this”.

The health virtues of plant-based

Soya was the category’s conversational mainstay for years, but has been somewhat relegated as food tech delivered many alternatives. “I think there’s an element of being a little too smart,” says Heath when asked if the category should go back to the basics of bean burgers and nut roasts. “But being smart comes with benefits like fortification for health, which plant-based is not expressing enough.”

When it comes to cost, Heath argues the inputs for plant-based manufacturers are higher than their non-vegan counterparts as the markets usually aren’t as established. However, Kaur believes cost is not a barrier to sales success.

“Vegans or flexitarians will talk about cost as an excuse [not to buy], but for omnivores it’s more about being satisfied; the barriers go well beyond price for these people,” she says, and highlights the success of the dairy milk alternative category, which costs more than cows milk, as a working example of price not being a barrier.

But both Kaur and Heath agree plant-based food manufacturers must focus more on taste to reverse the decline in sales. “We have to focus on getting the products right for meat eaters, because they are the ones who need convincing and retaining in the category,” says Kaur.

Yes, the category’s struggles have been universally acknowledged and the barriers to growth defined. However, those with a vested interest in the sector are focusing on the solutions and developing the plant-based category’s future.

Writing in the journal Nutrients,​ scientists from Auburn University and VDF FutureCeuticals report that the study provides “real-world evidence of efficacy” for VDF FutureCeuticals’ proprietary coffee cherry extract (CCE).

“We believe that this current study is a contributory step towards transforming the clinical trial landscape, especially for brain health supplements,” the researchers wrote. “The world is full of supplements with positive outcomes in laboratory settings that do not fulfill their promises when taken in the messiness of real life. 

“We feel that these data serve to enrich the growing body of evidence that CCE may support and potentially enhance brain health and function in older adults. Given the burgeoning global interest in brain health supplementation, it is critical that more robust research efforts are devoted toward characterizing the nature and efficacy of these supplements.”

Coffee cherry​

Coffee cherry is the outer layer of the coffee fruit (Coffea arabica​). The extract is a rich source of polyphenols, while VDF FutureCeuticals’ proprietary extraction process decaffeinates the extract. The company produces the extract from several varieties of Coffea arabica​ plants, sourcing from plantations in India.

The ingredient’s potential brain health benefits have been reported previously, with data showing that it may boost levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)​ and increase alertness. Other pre-clinical data supports a potential anti-inflammatory activity, according to background information in the new paper.

“Interestingly, all studies to date have been conducted in sterile, traditional laboratory environments, which by definition do not automatically lend themselves to real-world generalizability,” the researchers wrote. “Indeed, there has been recent discussion in the literature related to the deficiencies of traditional clinical models.

“Accordingly, we designed and conducted a first-of-its-kind remote clinical trial to assess both the acute and long-term effects of CCE. We leveraged a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, two-arm design (i.e., placebo versus CCE). Participants were recruited from across the United States.”

Study details​

The study included 323 people between the ages of 40 and 65. The “very diverse, generally healthy study population” were assigned to receive either a placebo or 200 mg per day of CCE for 28 days. Remote cognitive tests were performed at the start of the study (pre-supplementation, after one dose of the product to assess acute effects, and then weekly until the end of the trial).

The data showed that the single dose produced better results than placebo, with greater accuracy and fewer omissions during working memory and inhibitory control tasks.

Data over the course of the supplementation period showed that CCE outperformed placebo for accuracy, the researchers reported.

“Demonstrating real-world results that are consistent with, and expand, results obtained from previous laboratory-based studies provides more confidence that the effects of CCE on focus, attention, concentration and accuracy are not merely a product of a sterile, artificial environment, but are in fact real effects that can be experienced at home,” they concluded.

Source: Nutrients​
2024, 16​(14), 2348; doi: 10.3390/nu16142348​
“Whole Coffee Cherry Extract Improves Working Memory and Response Inhibition: Acute and Longitudinal Results from a Remote, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial”
Authors: J.L. Robinson

The idea for Nespresso Bloom, which includes a raw honey and a coffee-infused honey syrup sourced from bees on some farms in Colombia from which the company buys beans, “stems from the company’s business model, which is ingrained in sustainability,” Nespresso North America CEO Alfonso Gonzales Loeschen told FoodNavigator-USA.

“Everything we do at Nespresso is to protect the future of coffee. And I think Nespresso Bloom reflects that perfectly because it encompasses sustainable farming practices” that not only improves biodiversity, quality and supply of the coffee, but it also increases farmers’ earning potential because it creates an alternative source of income that hopefully will encourage future generations to continue to farm and provide beans to Nespresso, Loeschen explained.

He added it also expands Nespresso’s market reach by bringing the brand beyond coffee and related accessories for the first time. It also meets consumer desire for alternative sweeteners and more responsibly sourced products and gives them an opportunity to learn about and support the transition to regenerative agriculture, Loeschen explained.

In this sense, investing in regenerative agriculture goes far beyond environmental sustainability to include basic business goals such as boosting sales and volumes, reinforcing the supply chain, expanding consumer engagement, elevating the brand and product selection through marketing and earned media, and more.

From coffee to honey: How Nespresso Bloom was made possible​

Nespresso Bloom may be rooted in the company’s commitment to sustainability, but it would not be possible without the partnerships that Nespresso has forged as part of its AAA Sustainable Quality Program​, said Loeschen.

He explained as part of Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality Program, the company has worked directly with farmers for 20 years to improve the quality of their coffee, grow their income and protect the land.

For a select group of about 50 farmers in the Caldas-Antioquia region of Colombia beginning in 2020, this included participating in a pilot program in partnership with UBEES, which provided the farmers with nearly 800 beehives and monitoring technology.

“What we are doing together with UBEES is we are helping farmers learn the art of beekeeping. This helps to further their regenerative agriculture efforts because it promotes pollination … improves biodiversity and the quality of coffee beans,” he said.

The honey collected from these hives was used as the base for Nespresso Bloom, which was created through another partnership with parent-company Nestle’s R+D Accelerator in Lausanne, Switzerland. There, entrepreneurs use cutting-edge research and technology to better understand, measure and support the transition to regenerative agriculture through a consumer-centric approach.

The result of this multi-tiered collaboration was Nespresso Bloom, which Loeschen fondly called “the sweet side of espresso,” and which includes a raw Coffee Blossom Honey with a “delicate floral flavor” that can be used in beverages or recipes, such as on top of affogato, yogurt and more, and a Coffee Blossom Honey Syrup, that the company says “adds a refined coffee flavor with velvety, smooth, caramel and vanilla notes” to coffee-based beverages and other foods.

Limited distribution could scale with program​

Given the small size of the pilot program currently, Nespresso Bloom will have limited availability in Nespresso Boutiques in New York City and San Francisco through Aug. 21, at which point they will be available nationwide on Nespresso.com while supplies last.

The limited rollout will allow Nespresso to gather consumer feedback before expanding the pilot and producing additional runs, said Loeschen.

“We are very confident that Nespresso Bloom will have a high consumer acceptance because of the nature of the products, its high quality” and emerging consumer interest in honey as an alternative sweetener for their coffee that they perceive as healthier than table sugar, he said.

As such, he said, he anticipates Nespresso will bring additional batches of Nespresso Bloom this year, and has “new innovations” in the work for the new line in the future.