Scale up plant of Europe

hanks to a wealth of breeding-, agricultural-, and food processing knowledge, Dutch agri-food products are exported worldwide. Much of this food production and technology excellence is centered around Brabant.

In the past, the primary focus was on conventional animal proteins and plant products. Today, there is a rapid transition underway and a quest to find new foods and food components or ingredients for the food of tomorrow. Brabant provides the perfect ecosystem for scaling up operations in order to achieve these ambitious goals.

**Transition
**ambition

Brabant is working on creating sustainable proteins by focusing innovation mainly on plant-based ingredients. These ingredients can be mixed in combinations to make affordable alternatives to animal proteins. The existing value chains for the production of animal and plant-based proteins are well-established in the region. This is underpinned by numerous knowledge institutions and well-established pioneers in plant-based alternatives, such as the internationally renowned Vegetarian Butcher, now a Unilever company. Another local pioneer in microbial fermentation is The Protein Brewery, a spin-out from BioscienZ, an incubator within Brabant’s advanced biotech and pharmaceutical sector. Peel Pioneers is an innovative company creating new food ingredients from citrus peels. These are just a few of the companies that have scaled up their operations within the Brabant plant-based ecosystem.

These companies see a growing desire from consumers for healthy alternatives that are also better for the planet. However, when consumers look for alternative products, they still often demand that elements such as texture, aroma, bite, and appearance echo the products they are replacing.

The standard approach for new plant-based products is to adopt a consumer-friendly approach, i.e., creating direct substitutes in the same form as the original, such as burgers that look like burgers. Another option that is becoming increasingly prevalent and popular is hybrid products—a combination of conventional proteins and plant-based ingredients, such as the addition of Jackfruit fibers to minced meats. The consumer feels that they are taking a responsible option, and the producers help the supermarkets fulfill their targets and requirements for plant-based alternatives.

The producers of plant-based alternatives not only have to contend with the judgment of critical consumers in coming up with viable alternatives to animal proteins, but they also need to overcome considerable challenges, once they have developed successful products, in scaling up their production to cater to demand. They encounter challenges on many fronts.