News from the Frontier
June 2020
Dear friends – with COVID-19 restrictions easing down under, our measured return to ‘normal’ life happens amidst a moment of revolution and reform around the globe.
As individuals and as an organisation, we at Food Frontier are committed to creating systemic change to make the world a more equitable home for future generations. We commend and are heartened by the voices being raised here, and around the world, to ensure the human rights of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour.
In the field of alternative proteins, we are seeing increasing business activity in China with new investments and launches, while sales of plant-based meat continue to skyrocket in the U.S.
Read on to discover the latest in alternative proteins at home and abroad.
Food Frontier Updates
Food Frontier is working diligently on a first-of-its-kind report examining the health and nutrition of plant-based meats across AU/NZ, in partnership with an Accredited Practising Dietitian. Stay tuned for the launch in a matter of weeks!
As we begin developing our 2020 State of the Industry report, our earlier work to map the sector’s value with Deloitte Access Economics continues to serve as a resource for media, with mentions in Smart Company and Plant Based News.
Source: Made With Plants
Developments Down Under
Made With Plants launched several new products in Woolworths stores across Australia this month, including a plant-based mince, competitively priced at half the cost of Beyond Meat’s mince, as well as plant-based bacon and ready-made meals
Plant-based meat products from U.S.-based MorningStar Farms are now available in Coles and independent supermarkets, along with Beyond Meat’s mince offering, Beyond Beef.
Western Australia’s Wide Open Agriculture is exploring technology to unlock protein in locally grown lupins, a legume typically used for livestock feed, for use in plant-based meat applications.
Source: OmniFoods
Global Developments
New figures from The Good Food Institute show global alternative protein investments in the first three months of 2020 ($930M USD) has already outpaced total investment volume for all of 2019.
To capitalise on the growth of China’s plant-based food market – predicted by Euromonitor to increase to $11B USD by 2023 – Nestlé announced it will build its first plant-based meat production facility in the country, with an aim to be operational by the end of 2020.
Hong Kong-based OmniFoods has announced two new plant-based pork-style products, to appeal to local palates and provide consumers a healthier alternative to popular canned luncheon meat.
French cultivated meat start-up Gourmey has used cells from duck eggs to create the first cruelty-free, cultivated foie gras.
Source: Getty Images
Why Alternative Proteins?
As most research on the environmental impacts of farming ruminant livestock versus protein-rich crops is based on U.S. and European systems, it’s difficult to make a direct comparison down under. Yet new research assessing New Zealand’s emissions data has found that one kilogram of beef raised in New Zealand produces 14 times the emissions of whole, protein-rich plant foods like lentils, beans and chickpeas. As the University of Otago study authors state, “despite dominant narratives about the efficiency of New Zealand's livestock production systems,” this research indicates that even the most emissions-intensive plant foods have less than four times the climate impact than beef primarily produced in a grass-fed system.
We hope you remain inspired and well in these challenging times, and we thank you for your continued support. As always, please send us any ideas or feedback.
To discover more of the latest on alternative proteins, visit our news page.
The Food Frontier Team
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Food Frontier is the independent think tank and expert advisor on alternative proteins in Australia and New Zealand. Our vision is a sustainable, nutritious and diversified protein supply.
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