AUGUST 20238IN MY OPINIONBOOSTING THE NUTRITION CREDENTIALS OF PLANT-BASED FOOD AND DRINKBY KAVITA KARNIK, GLOBAL HEAD OF NUTRITION AND REGULATORY, TATE & LYLEThere has been tremendous innovation in the plant-based sector in recent years, and at Tate & Lyle, we believe the sector's future is bright, as consumers seek diets and lifestyles that support their values and health. Making a food or drink that is plant-based is a way of making it healthier but, importantly, plant-based foods are not more nutritious than those containing animal-derived ingredients by default. That is determined by the salt, sugar, fat, calorie and micronutrient content. At Tate & Lyle, we work with customers to find opportunities to enhance the nutrition credentials of their products. The question we are often asked is: What can be done to enable plant-based food and drink to not only look and taste like their traditional counterpart but to also be as, or more, nutritious? Step 1: Understand what drives consumer choicesWhen the term `flexitarian' was first coined in the 1990s, the focus was on enabling consumers to access the purported health benefits of a vegetarian diet without cutting out favourite foods entirely. That trend has increased in recent years, especially around the pandemic, with people viewing diet as a controllable modifier of health, in parallel with growing awareness of climate change and our diet's contribution. When developing plant-based products, understanding the consumer drivers is key. The perceived impact on health is an important one. Manufacturers are keen to develop nutritious plant-based products, even when the product is predominantly formulated to cater to other drivers, such as growing concern around climate change. With the right nutrition and formulation know-how during development, solutions that support healthy living can be found. Kavita Karnik
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