Alternative Protein Sources Balancing Food Innovation, Sustainability, Nutrition, and Health: Proceedings of a Workshop (2023) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
3 Implications for the Industry, Consumers, and Regulators
3 Implications for the Industry, Consumers, and Regulators
Pages 41-72
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 41... ...
INDUSTRY IMPLICATIONS OF ALTERNATIVE PROTEIN PRODUCTS Patrick Brown, Impossible Foods, Inc., outlined the environmental implications of animal-sourced protein and potential ramifications of replacing meat with alternative proteins. He discussed the role of technology in facilitating this dietary shift and the economics of the plant-based meat industry.
|
From page 42... ...
Brown described the scale of animal agriculture by comparing it with other animal life. He reported that the total biomass of farmed cattle outweighs that of all wild land mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians by 10-fold.
|
From page 43... ...
He added that, whereas the CO2 emitted from fossil fuels cannot be turned back into coal, the CO2 from animal agriculture can revert back to use by trees and plant biomass. In addition to CO2, Brown noted that animal agriculture also contributes methane and nitrous oxide (major greenhouse gases)
|
From page 44... ...
Role of Industry and Technology in Alternative Proteins Brown stated that industry is an efficient way to change behavior in a short period of time. He argued that there is no real chance within any finite amount of time of getting more than 7 billion people to shift their diet away from routine consumption of animal products through education or persuasion alone.
|
From page 45... ...
Thus, Brown asserted, change can happen quickly when driven by consumer demand and competition in the marketplace. Benefits of Novel Alternative Proteins Brown remarked that the technology platform created by Impossible Foods has delivered plant-based beef, pork, and chicken products whose taste mainstream consumers prefer over that of leading animal-based competitors.
|
From page 46... ...
PLANT-BASED ALTERNATIVES AS TRANSITION AND MAINTENANCE FOODS Mark Messina, Soy Nutrition Institute Global, discussed the global protein demand, the protein and nutritional content of various plant-based proteins, and the role of novel plant-based meat alternatives in transitioning to and maintaining a diet with a higher plant-to-animal ratio. The global population is projected to reach nearly 10 billion people by 2050, he observed, raising the issue of how best to meet the increasing calorie and protein demand over the next 30 years (PRB, 2020)
|
From page 47... ...
At the high end of protein intake, if each person consumed 100 grams of protein per day, global protein demand would increase by 78 percent. According to Messina, evidence suggests that the latter scenario is more likely in the next 30 years because populations around the world currently derive about 16 percent of their calories from protein (Lieberman et al., 2020)
|
From page 48... ...
and global protein intake. Novel Plant-Based Meat Alternatives According to Messina, in contrast to traditional sources of plant protein, the new generation of plant-based meat alternatives has the potential to gain mass appeal.
|
From page 49... ...
He argued that this is an important consideration given the limited research suggesting that many vegetarians do not remain on a plant-based diet indefinitely. Messina went on to remark that despite the favorable attributes of plant-based meat alternatives, these products have received pushback.
|
From page 50... ...
. In this crossover study, participants consumed plant-based meat alternatives or analogous animal products for 8 weeks, then alternated those for an additional 8 weeks.
|
From page 51... ...
Conversely, he believes that plant-based meat alternatives that emulate the orosensory properties of meat have the potential to gain mass appeal; with fortification, these alternatives can compare nutritionally with animal products.
|
From page 52... ...
Plant-Based Consumer Trends NielsenIQ has conducted research on consumer behaviors and perspectives related to plant-based foods, Frey reported, including the quantities and specific products people are purchasing and the motivations driving these purchases. She clarified that this research differentiated meat alternatives made with beans, vegetables, and grains from those made with isolated proteins, although consumers tend to group these products together and consume them at similar rates.
|
From page 53... ...
She reported further that alternative milk products total $2.6 billion in annual sales; plant-based foods in this category with the highest sales volume are alternative milk, creamers, and beverages. Fully cooked meat alternatives are the fourth highest–selling plant-based food category, Frey observed, and plant-based fully cooked, processed, and fresh meat alternatives have all seen sales growth of 39 percent or higher over the past 3 years, although sales of processed and fresh meat alternatives have declined over the past year.
|
From page 54... ...
is playing a role in the growth of the meat-alternative market. Only 1 percent of households buy only meat alternatives, compared with 21 percent of households that buy both traditional meat and meat alternatives.
|
From page 55... ...
Frey noted that the reasons given for not continuing to purchase alternative-meat products were consistent regardless of whether the products were made with beans, vegetables, and grains or with isolated proteins and starches. Frey also observed that consumers are paying attention to the health attributes and processing of meat alternatives.
|
From page 56... ...
He outlined the components of food safety assessments, described the process of precision fermentation, and highlighted challenges in conducting hypothesis-driven safety assessments for alternative proteins. Food Ingredient Safety Assessments Hanlon opened with an overview of the process through which novel alternative proteins -- like all new food ingredients -- are evaluated for safety before they can be used in manufactured products.
|
From page 57... ...
Thus, he said, although alternative proteins are relatively new to the food supply, the safety of these novel ingredients is assessed with models that have long been used to evaluate new ingredients. Precision Fermentation in Food Production Before describing the three components of the food safety assessment process in more detail, Hanlon provided an overview of how the process of precision fermentation is used to create novel, alternative proteins.
|
From page 58... ...
According to Hanlon, the new process proved to be so effective that by 2015, it was being used to produce virtually all riboflavin. Ingredient Specifications Hanlon returned to his overview of the food safety assessment process by elaborating on the critical first component: establishing a specification for an ingredient.
|
From page 59... ...
According to Hanlon, the approach taken for many alternative protein ingredients is based on the conservative assumption that people will use the product as an alternative rather than an additional protein source. Thus, he clarified, the use of alternative proteins in a variety of foods is not expected to increase overall protein consumption or raise protein intake above the recommended dietary allowance.
|
From page 60... ...
For example, the digestibility of traditional and alternative proteins is assessed using both in vitro and in vivo methods. The safety assessment also explores potential risks introduced by the production process, said Hanlon.
|
From page 61... ...
Food Safety Definitions, Tools, and Programs Fasano described the statutory definition of a food additive in the FD&C Act as broad, given that it covers any substance the intended use of which results or may reasonably be expected to result, directly or indirectly, in its becoming a component or otherwise affecting the characteristic of any food including any substance intended for use in producing, manufacturing, packing, processing, prepar ing, treating, packaging, transporting, or holding food. Fasano explained that under the FD&C Act, food additives are subject not only to premarket review and approval by the FDA but also to regulation prescribing the conditions under which a food additive may be safely used, with successful food additive petitions resulting in a regulation number.
|
From page 62... ...
Safety Assessment of Precision Fermentation Products Fasano reiterated Hanlon's explanation that the method of precision fermentation, or recombinant fermentation, uses microorganisms to produce food ingredients (Figure 3-1) , and that bacteria and fungi have a long history in traditional food production to make yogurt, cheese, pickles, wine, bread, and other foods.
|
From page 63... ...
According to Fasano, the same safety assessment process for all sub stances used in food is applied to ingredients produced with precision fermentation: the ingredient is defined, the exposure level is projected, and appropriate data are reviewed. He explained that in a new production pro cess, the potential presence of certain contaminants might vary from that of other processes, and a safety assessment would evaluate the potential
|
From page 64... ...
Any potential differences resulting from a process are identified to evaluate their relevance from a safety perspective, said Fasano. Safety Assessment of Animal Cell Culture in Food and Feed Production Fasano explained that animal cell culture is a process that is widely used in a therapeutic and research context and is now being explored for use in food production.
|
From page 65... ...
REQUIREMENTS FOR LABELING OF ALTERNATIVE PROTEIN FOODS Douglas Balentine, FDA CFSAN, outlined the required components of food labels. He opened by explaining that existing labeling requirements for all foods are applied to all alternative protein foods to ensure that labels are meeting a consumer's expectations and needs.
|
From page 66... ...
He stressed that this feature is important for consumers with food sensitivities or allergies and noted that alternative proteins made from fermentation processes are potentially allergenic; for example, dairy proteins produced from yeast or other fungi are likely to have the same allergenic potential as dairy proteins produced by animals. Thus, Balentine stressed, appropriate disclosure is critically important to consumers with milk allergies.
|
From page 67... ...
He added that claims can refer to percent reductions of certain dietary components compared with competing products. Some alternative protein foods may qualify for existing health claims, Balentine observed, which require preapproval by the FDA.
|
From page 68... ...
Regenerative Agriculture Williamson asked whether regenerative agricultural practices could serve as an intermediary step toward eliminating animal agriculture, allowing some level of meat production while decreasing the harmful effects of traditional animal agriculture. Brown remarked that "regenerative agriculture" is not a well-defined term, and that it is often applied to a certain grazing approach for which little evidence indicates that it improves carbon levels and some contrary evidence exists.
|
From page 69... ...
Messina referenced several studies indicating that plant-based products that do not attempt to replicate the experience of consuming animal-based products are more readily accepted by people already on a plant-based diet than by those on an omnivorous diet. He cited as an example black bean burgers, remarking that they do not mimic beef and, despite having been available for decades, have neither achieved mass appeal nor shifted the animal-to-plant protein intake ratio in any country.
|
From page 70... ...
This conversation is starting to gain attention in the United States as well, she noted, along with the idea that consumers should avoid products containing hard-to-pronounce ingredients. Over the past few years, she pointed out, enormous growth has occurred in "clean labeling," which features claims that products do not contain artificial ingredients, flavors, or colors.
|
From page 71... ...
Thus, he maintained, the functional or consumer perspective on alternative proteins is quite different from the technical one. Hanlon said he applies the term "alternative protein" to a food that is new, featuring either novel composition or an existing protein produced via a new manufacturing method.
|
From page 72... ...
Messina suggested that as plant-based products gain in popularity, the term "alternative protein" will lose relevance and fall out of use. Brown remarked that he is averse to the term and considers it of limited usefulness for several reasons.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.