Trends to Watch in 2022 for Plant-Based and Alternative Proteins

Food tech continually reminds people that they live in the future. Less than a decade ago, things seemed impossible and unlikely, but now they are becoming a reality. 

FREMONT, CA: The year 2021 began and will conclude during a pandemic. Vaccinations saved lives and, to some extent, peace of mind; however, the Omicron variant and supply chain disruptions continue to remind people that COVID-19 is far from over. As many have predicted, the path forward entails establishing a new normal rather than a "return to normalcy."

However, as numerous individuals have pointed out, that is not necessarily bad. Some aspects of industrialized society, particularly foodways, are long overdue for an update to better address the contemporary world's issues, such as the climate crisis. Those wheels are gradually spinning faster because of the time spent at home or a collective kick in the pants from COVID-19 anxiety.

There have been many trends that people foresaw germinating last year that have come to fruition, from the explosion of new plant oils and milk to the introduction of more vegan fish substitutes. In the future, food companies can anticipate these trends to continue to expand, as well as the emergence of a few new ones. Here are some of the year 2022's most significant developments.

Veggie-meat hybrid foods: Flexitarians have long believed that small changes in eating and shopping habits would benefit the planet, people, and animals. So, while people in the plant-based food industry frequently discuss replacing meat with 100 percent vegan alternatives, meat companies are beginning to turn toward a compromise: hybrid meat-vegetable foods. A burger or chicken nugget cooked with a mixture of meat and vegetables may be ideal for those who aren't satisfied with vegetarian meat substitutes but are concerned about their health and the environment. For instance, Applegate's Well Carved line of burger patties and meatballs contain vegetables such as cauliflower and kale and therefore contain less meat. Perdue is launching its Chicken Plus line of nuggets and tenders, which combine chicken with a mixture of vegetables such as chickpeas and cauliflower. Mixing veggie-meat foods is an intelligent way for meat brands to keep up with the changing needs of a rapidly changing society instead of opposing plant-forward, ecologically friendly foods at all costs.

Vegan butter is better:  The corporatized livestock industry is fighting a losing battle if it refuses to adapt. In the continuous saga of vegan food brands being sued for calling their plant-based products almond "milk" or vegan "butter," Miyoko's Creamery, a manufacturer of plant-based dairy alternatives, for example, prevailed in federal court this summer. Whether they like it or not, the food industry and government regulators must accept what consumers already know: language is flexible and fluid, especially regarding rapidly changing aspects of culture. Plant-based milk and butter do not deceive anyone, and the dairy industry has no exclusive claim to those terms. They will be required to face dairy-free competition without any legal advantages. And in the interim, brands such as Miyoko's will be able to experiment with new products, ingredients, and marketing strategies without Big Dairy breathing down their necks.