As consumers increasingly seek foods that support both personal wellness and the wellness of the planet, plant-based and sustainable diets have moved from niche to mainstream. According to Innova Market Insights, regions across the globe are launching more plant-based products. Asia’s market saw a 85% compound annual growth rate from 2018 to 2022.
Understanding what defines plant-based and sustainable diets—and how they intersect with sustainability goals—can help foodservice operators, manufacturers, and suppliers make informed decisions that balance nutrition, flavor, cost, environmental and social impact.
What Is a Plant-Based Diet?
A plant-based diet is high in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains while also limiting saturated fat, sugar, and salt.
Common plant-based diets include veganism and vegetarianism, which apply strict rules to cutting out all or most animal-based foods like meat, dairy, and eggs.
Flexitarianism, primarily eating a plant-based diet while occasionally incorporating animal products, is also a common plant-based diet. The Mediterranean diet is a prime example of the flexitarian persuasion—a diet that’s largely rooted in plant-based foods, as well as seafood and animal products in moderation.
What to Serve on a Plant-Based Diet
If you think vegetables, beans, and fruits are the end-all-be-all of foods on a plant-based diet, it may seem rather limiting. However, according to Jackie Schulz, Senior Director of Global Nutrition at Griffith Foods, variety is one of the most important things to focus on to see the benefits of plant-based diets.
“By consuming a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and protein sources, a plant-based diet can be a complete and healthy option. That said, a plant-based diet can also be unhealthy if it is characterized by high intakes of energy dense, nutrient poor foods.”
Benefits and Considerations
According to Schulz, benefits from a plant-based diet can include:
- Enhanced Nutrition: Plant-based foods tend to be higher in fiber and lower in saturated fats.
- Rich with Vitamins and Minerals: Fruits, vegetables, and legumes are a good source of essential vitamins and minerals.
- Reduced Disease Risk: Vegetarian and Mediterranean diets have been shown to reduce the risk of age-associated non-communicable diseases, such as certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease.
However, solely plant-based foods also have considerable shortcomings if the nutrition of your meals is not properly planned.
- Lacking in Certain Nutrients: Plant-based diets can be lower in vitamins such as vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, and calcium.
- Unpleasant Flavors: Some plant-based products, particularly those that are trying to mimic meat products (like alternative meat burgers or chicken), can have an earthy, vegetal taste that some consumers find unappealing.
- Lower Satiety: If protein is not prioritized, consumers may feel less satisfied.
Fortunately, a diet enriched with fortified foods and finely-tuned flavors can easily avoid these common drawbacks.
What Is a Sustainable Diet?
A sustainable diet is one with low environmental impacts that also contribute to food and nutrition security, as well as healthy lives for present and future generations.
Many studies find that plant-based and vegan diets are often considered the most sustainable diets. EAT-Lancet produced the Planetary Health Diet, one of many emerging plant-based sustainable diets rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes. Other sustainable diets include the Nordic diet, which focuses on plant-based foods, local and seasonal produce, fish, whole grains, and reduced meat and sugar.
What to Serve for a Sustainable Diet
To reduce total environmental impact, restaurants and suppliers should buy from sustainable sources, such as local and seasonal ingredients. Products and ingredients should also consider helping local farmers diversify crop output or support their regenerative agriculture initiatives.
Granted, these aspirations are often not possible—or economically viable. In these cases, working with a sustainability-focused supplier can help you reduce your impact and generate positive opportunities for those in the food system.
Serving dishes free of certain animal products or in smaller portions can help address concerns regarding their contributions to global emissions.
Benefits and Considerations
We often see that sustainable diets and plant-based diets largely overlap, since plant-based diets can be more eco-friendly.
The benefits and considerations consumers should consider before switching to a sustainable diet are largely the same—consumers and food developers should ensure their sustainable offerings are enriched with variety and added nutrients.
The United Nations estimates the food industry is responsible for 30% of global energy consumption and 22% of gases that contribute to global warming. Sustainable diets include the improvement of environmental impacts.
Another benefit includes the improvement of health and wellness for generations to come—establishing a pattern of regenerative agriculture, sustainable eating, and food security.
Aligning Supply Chain, Products, and Sustainability Goals
To truly achieve sustainable and appealing offerings, you must be able to balance consumer demands for health, flavor, and sustainability with environmental and social stewardship. Doing so can not only position your offerings as compatible with sustainable eating, it can have far-reaching positive impacts on the earth.
Where do you start in your pursuit of sustainability goals? As a company that recently committed to prioritizing a nutritious and sustainable portfolio, we learned the transformation of a culinary portfolio begins with the ingredients at the top of your supply chain.
Leverage Sustainable Sourcing
Effective alignment with modern sustainable sourcing requires “farm to factory” traceability. For example, TEROVA focuses on a farmer-first approach for ingredients while providing education and incentives for farmers to adopt sustainable practices to improve soil quality and yields.
Griffith Foods also believes sourcing strategies must ensure workers’ rights are protected and that deforestation is avoided throughout the supply chain.
Address Consumer Needs and Trends
Consumers today are “hungry and confused”—a report from McKinsey & Company found that consumers want to eat both more healthily (50%) and sustainably (33%). However, many are left confused about how to achieve these goals.
One approach is to design products that are powered by protein—leveraging plant and hybrid proteins, reducing overall meat consumption while leaving customers satisfied with lower costs and satiating meals.
Another route is to utilize ingredients like legumes and ancient grains, which are both nutrient-dense and leave a smaller environmental footprint. In some regions of the world, these ingredients are traditionally grown by communities of small-scale farmers as a path to income diversification.
Incorporate Sustainability into Product Design
Sustainability is not just a corporate metric, but rather a key attribute in product design. This introduces a unique and exciting challenge—figuring out how to reduce ingredients that leave a large carbon footprint while also increasing helpful nutrients and maintaining craveable flavor.
Culinarians should consider starting with incremental changes to meet these expectations. Significant impact can be made through small tweaks, like blending plant and animal proteins or bringing plant-based proteins like legumes and nuts to the center of the plate.
Let’s Build a Sustainable Future
By aligning sustainability goals with consumer needs and supply chain strategies—and leveraging sustainable and plant-based foods—companies can create offerings that are not only better for the planet, but also satisfying, accessible, and scalable for the future of food.
Feeling inspired to develop more offerings that support the wellness of both people and the planet? Learn more in our 2030 Aspirations and join us in our journey to nourish the world.
