Keeping Consumers Coming Back for More

Plant proteins: How to keep consumers coming back for more

We live in exciting times with the plant protein market on the rise. And as the shelves fill up with more and more meat alternatives and standalone plant proteins, it can get difficult to make yours stand out from the crowd and ensure consumers come back.

Whether vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian, consumers find plant protein appealing for many of the same reasons – from visual appeal to price and packaging, texture to taste.

Let’s take a closer look at the reasons consumers find alternative protein attractive, and how we can approach them.

Some reasons consumers find plant and alternative protein attractive:

1. I want a sustainable alternative protein source

When consumers choose plant protein, they often feel driven by climate and environmental concerns. By extension, they are looking for kitchen-like ingredients from sustainable sources. For manufacturers and players higher up in the product creation process, like us, this means working with ingredients that we source locally and that farmers grow responsibly. For this, we are developing close relationships with farmers and, whenever possible, opting for natural raw materials.

Healthy and clean label protein products

2. I want a healthy and clean-label alternative protein source

For many consumers, caring for the planet closely links to caring for the body and knowing exactly what goes into it. They want to get enough nutrients with as little of the “bad” stuff as possible. This means offering a balanced nutritional profile, and also sharing this information. When consumers pick up a product, they want to see a list of familiar, natural and kitchen-like ingredients, free from scientific terms they find hard to understand.

Nutritional ratings, like Nutri-Score in Europe, are putting a bigger onus on food brands to offer healthier products. This often means taking out sugar or salt. The good news? Natural taste balancing solutions like symlife™ make it possible to rebalance the perception of sugar or salt (as well as masking unwanted protein notes), while reducing the actual quantities to prioritize both taste and health.

3. I want a plant protein product that looks and smells delicious

They say that first impressions count. And this, without doubt, applies to plant protein. Beyond clearly labelled and appealing packaging, this means color. Opting for natural coloring from vegetables like carrots and beetroot creates an appetizing shade. With the right ingredients, you can also recreate the color change that takes place when meat is cooked.

Smell, of course, belongs as integral part to the equation. The entire sensory experience is interconnected and we need to look at it as one - which leads us to the main factor driving purchase…

4. I want a plant protein product that tastes great

Great taste forms the customer’s no.1 priority and also the most challenging aspect of any plant protein product. Time and time again, sensory research - like customer sounding boards and product tastings - shows that flavor and texture lie at the heart of purchase. And that they comprise a multitude of interlinked factors, from juiciness to mouthfeel and saltiness.

To dive deeper into taste and what exactly makes that wow factor, head this way.

Innovative data, molecular analysis, and headspace technologies, like Symrise ProtiScan™, make it easier to select the right taste solutions and optimize the protein profiles for each application and consumer taste preferences. With in-depth consumer insights on drivers of liking and a smart predictive model, we will soon be able to anticipate consumers taste preferences and improve the final sensory profile. We have prepared ourselves to co-create the next generation of plant protein products - the ones that keep consumers coming back for more.Andrew Mihelakis, Marketing Manager, Flavor Division

Are you ready to take up the challenge together? Get in touch.

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We live in exciting times with the plant protein market on the rise. And as the shelves fill up with more and more meat alternatives and standalone plant proteins, it can get difficult to make yours stand out from the crowd and ensure consumers come back.

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