How ‘plant-based’ re-branded vegan eating for the mainstream
With 'plant-based diet' consumers see a term that evokes vegetables and healthfulness but spares diners the hard stop of 'vegan' . They see a gentle nudge to eat more vegetables, not an admonition to stop eating meat.
LAVANYA RAMATHAN: ‘The next time you’re at the grocery store, take a closer look at the shelves. Products emblazoned with the term are popping up in every aisle and in every form: plant-based plantain yogurts, seitan sausages, kale chips, pea-protein shakes, oat milks. The number of new U.S. food and drink products that mentioned “plant-based” grew 268 percent between 2012 and 2018, according to consumer research company Mintel… While there are plenty of cultural underpinnings for the plant-based explosion, few are more powerful than the phrase itself. “ ‘Plant-based’ is as close as you can get to the farm,” Phil Lempert, a veteran food industry analyst, says. “It’s a really smart use of terminology.”
And while experts consider a “plant-based diet” completely free of animal products, consumers have begun to see nuance in a term that evokes vegetables and healthfulness but spares diners the hard stop of “vegan” or “vegetarian.” They see a gentle nudge to eat more vegetables, not an admonition to stop eating meat — leaving, for some, just enough wiggle room to sneak in a scallop crudo . . . or a burger. While many plant-based products are vegan, their target audience isn’t vegans. It’s “the meat eaters and the dairy eaters,” says Melanie Bartelme, an analyst for Mintel. “For the majority of consumers, it’s not abandonment, it’s a ‘sometimes swap.’ ”
But is that really what advocates of plant-based diets wanted? It’s all in how you spin it… “The term ‘vegan’ tends to mean someone has to have a membership card to an exclusive club,” explains Michele Simon, executive director of the Plant Based Foods Association, which was founded in 2016 and represents more than 100 companies, including Tofurky and the Campbell Soup Co. “You have to shun all forms of animal products, and it’s just not something that’s appealing to most people”… “Plant-based,” on the other hand, offered broader appeal, plus the ring of familiarity. “Most people have eaten vegetables of some sort,” Simon says with a chuckle. “It might be french fries, but it’s still plant-based”.’ SOURCE…
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