ProVeg Netherlands published the results of a survey of caterers this month
A survey carried out in the Netherlands has found that a growing number of caterers are taking steps to make their range more sustainable by partially replacing animal ingredients with plant-based and blended variants.
The results of the survey of 25 caterers and restaurants, mainly operating in corporate settings, was carried out by ProVeg Netherlands and released this month.
The survey found that caterers were providing blended sausages and burgers as well as blended plant-based and animal milk, yoghurt and cheese to achieve the environmental benefits of a partially plant-based offering, whilst also giving customers a familiar experience that tastes like traditional animal products. Caterers are also fully replacing products such as cooking cream, mayonnaise and butter with fully plant-based versions on a large scale, without significant resistance from guests.
“As well as complete replacement with plant-based alternatives, our survey found that so-called “blended” products are also increasingly being used successfully as an intermediate step,” Martine van Haperen, Nutrition and Health Expert at ProVeg Netherlands, said.
“This happens especially when there is still insufficient support for full replacement, or the taste experience of plant-based alternatives is not yet sufficiently developed. It is a silent nudge towards more plant-based food,” she added.
Silent but not secret – and taste is paramount
Van Haperen stressed that “silent” was not “secret” and that the survey of caterers also revealed taste was paramount.
“Transparency about the composition of products is a basic requirement, as is compliance with laws and regulations. So people will know what’s in their food,” van Haperen said.
“Interestingly, caterers also told us that the most important success factor for plant-based variants was taste. People appreciate it most when a familiar taste is retained or even improved,” she added. “Over-communicating sustainability and health aspects can lead guests to think that the food might taste different and not as good.”
Large-scale public support
Public support for partially replacing animal ingredients with plant ingredients has already been established by research involving 9,000 people that was carried out by Dutch firm Kieskompas.
A majority of the respondents to that survey indicated that they are in favour of replacing animal ingredients by food companies, including both young and old people and those living in the city and the countryside.
“The greatest support is for replacing ingredients that are not characteristic of a dish, such as eggs or cream in sauces. But a majority is also positive or neutral about the partial and complete replacement of meat or fish in meals and snacks,” van Haperen said.
ENDS
Footnotes
- Zo combineer je duurzaamheidswinst én tevreden gasten in de stille eiwittransitie – ProVeg Nederland
Notes to Editors
For media inquiries, email Peter Rixon at [email protected].
For scientific data about the benefits of plant-based eating, see our Food System Data website.
About ProVeg International
ProVeg International is a food awareness organisation with the mission to replace 50% of animal products globally with plant-based and cultivated foods by 2040. Our vision is a world where everyone chooses delicious and healthy food that is good for all humans, animals, and our planet.
