Protein Challenge

THE PROTEIN CHALLENGE: Securing and Diversifying Protein Sources

NEWS & INSIGHTS

THE PROTEIN CHALLENGE: Securing and Diversifying Protein Sources

HABLEMOS

Changes in consumer habits are offering tremendous opportunity for innovators in food science to meet dietary demands with alternative protein sources, writes SPRIM FOOD.

As our world gets bigger, so too does the demand for protein. Experts predict that the global population will have reached 10 billion people by 2050. Satisfying this dietary demand will require considerable changes to current systems of food production. It also presents a real opportunity for the food industry – particularly those experimenting with different ways to provide the population with protein.

 

Securing Protein Sources

Meat consumption is essential to a full and nutritious diet the world over. Debate now centres on how best to continue securing and developing protein supplies and on how to optimise meat production.

To support population growth and fulfil the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), much attention is being paid to alternative ways of producing protein products.

This alternative protein space is booming across the world, with a wide variety of plant-, algae-, fungi- and even insect-based foods and feeds emerging around the world.

These products have traditionally taken the form of meat substitutes, such as lentils or soy-based tofu. Some companies are also experimenting with meat replacements, creating plant-based products adapted to the needs of society.

In 2020, the innovations are set to keep coming. Mycoprotein, a fungi-derived protein, has received attention for being high in fibre and low in saturated fat. High-protein insects are also in vogue as the ultimate “circular economy” food: they can be cheaply reared on feed that would not have been suitable for livestock.

 

Changing Consumer Habits

While the number of protein alternatives continues to expand, their widespread adoption depends on a change in consumer habits.

Early signs suggest this is beginning to happen. Increasing numbers of people are switching to plant-based and fungi-based foods for personal reasons and beliefs. Others are making the switch to diversify their food experiences, discover new flavours, and test or explore in search of new health benefits.

The food industry can look to capitalise on this moment of change and desire for differentiation in protein sources. 2020 brings new opportunities for meat and alternative protein producers, who will be able to innovate with new and novel products – and re-position themselves in a rapidly growing market.

At SPRIM FOOD, we’ve been working with corporations, brands, trade associations and scientific organisations for the last 19 years to identify, position and market new sources of protein within the nutritional community.

For more information, or for advice on how to take advantage of changing trends in the food industry, get in touch with SPRIM FOOD’s team of food science experts, here: https://sprimfood.com/contact-us/

CONÓCENOS

Other news

THE PROTEIN CHALLENGE: Securing and Diversifying Protein Sources

Changes in consumer habits are offering tremendous opportunity for innovators in food science to meet dietary demands with alternative protein sources, writes SPRIM FOOD.

Read More

SPRIM organises Leading International Conference on Practical Nutrition

On 12 and 13 February, more than 600 nutritionists and healthcare professionals will come together for the XXIV International Conference on Practical Nutrition, organised in collaboration with the Spanish Society of Dietetics & Food Science (SEDCA).

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A NEW GOLDEN AGE FOR NUTRITION: Opportunities for the food sector to add value, communicate and innovate.

Today we are living in a New Era of Nutrition, with interest in healthy products growing exponentially year on year. No longer just a basic necessity, food has become a veritable social phenomenon

Read More


Practical Nutrition

SPRIM organises Leading International Conference on Practical Nutrition

NEWS & INSIGHTS

SPRIM organises Leading International Conference on Practical Nutrition

HABLEMOS

SPRIM’s internationally acclaimed conference on practical nutrition returns to Madrid in 2020.

On 12 and 13 February, more than 600 nutritionists and healthcare professionals will come together for the XXIV International Conference on Practical Nutrition, organised in collaboration with the Spanish Society of Dietetics & Food Science (SEDCA).

A packed scientific programme will see discussion on a variety of issues including:

  • The future of nutrition, from individual and sustainable points of view
  • The importance of nutritional education in the classroom to prevent childhood obesity
  • The carbon footprint of food products and the United Nations World Food Programme’s climate action, in the context of the 2030 agenda
  • Emerging risks in the food chain and strategies to identify these risks

In addition, the President of the Spanish Society of Arterial Hypertension will take a look at the essential guidelines in Cardiovascular Risk Prevention; experts in Microbiota will explore the evolving relationship between microorganisms and livings beings; and nutritional experts will discuss flexitarian diets and plant-based bioactive compounds.

This year will also see SPRIM & SEDCA launch the very first History of Food Conference, in which experts from across the world of food will reflect on what food was like at different stages throughout history and how this has impacted human evolution.

The conference will take place from 12-13 February 2020 at the Fundación Pablo IV Conference Centre in Madrid.

Take a look at last year’s conference, the items on this year’s agenda or sponsor the event at //www.nutricionpractica.org/

CONÓCENOS

Other news

THE PROTEIN CHALLENGE: Securing and Diversifying Protein Sources

Changes in consumer habits are offering tremendous opportunity for innovators in food science to meet dietary demands with alternative protein sources, writes SPRIM FOOD.

Read More

SPRIM organises Leading International Conference on Practical Nutrition

On 12 and 13 February, more than 600 nutritionists and healthcare professionals will come together for the XXIV International Conference on Practical Nutrition, organised in collaboration with the Spanish Society of Dietetics & Food Science (SEDCA).

Read More

A NEW GOLDEN AGE FOR NUTRITION: Opportunities for the food sector to add value, communicate and innovate.

Today we are living in a New Era of Nutrition, with interest in healthy products growing exponentially year on year. No longer just a basic necessity, food has become a veritable social phenomenon

Read More


A NEW GOLDEN AGE FOR NUTRITION: Opportunities for the food sector to add value, communicate and innovate.

NEWS & INSIGHTS

A NEW GOLDEN AGE FOR NUTRITION:

Opportunities for the food sector to add value, communicate and innovate.

HABLEMOS

Today we are living in a New Era of Nutrition, with interest in healthy products growing exponentially year on year. No longer just a basic necessity, food has become a veritable social phenomenon.

A wave of change has swept through the food sector with dizzying speed, presenting both challenges and opportunities for reinvention, development and, ultimately, growth.

If we want to design a winning strategy in this rapidly changing landscape, an in-depth understanding of the players, environment and channels that make it up will be indispensable.

Today, as many as 60% of digital consumers search for health advice online, with 54% looking for information relating to food and healthy habits.1 These figures give some idea of the intense interest that these topics provoke. The right information can also help us understand how to maximise our impact on our target markets, telling us, for instance, that their key information sources are blogs and forums (50.4%), followed by social media (47.1%) – both more widely consulted than either nutritional experts (42%) or doctors (38.8%).2

As new online platforms have emerged, social media channels have matured and the impact of micro- and macro-influencers has grown, these sources have become hugely important in shaping consumer behaviour and shopping habits. Those offering advice on nutrition and health can forge an even more direct connection with their audience.

Trends and new concepts like mindful eating, plant-based diets, green packaging, zero-waste and vertical farming have all been promoted through social media and, in many cases, through the lifestyles and personal beliefs of a handful of influencers. Online, consumers are exposed to a bewildering array of messages, often contradictory and sometimes with little scientific basis. The fact that ‘Fake News’ was declared the Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year for 2017, following a 365% spike in usage, speaks volumes.

This has particular significance for food and nutrition, as 30% of all ‘fake news’ relates to this sector.3 Even more alarming are forecasts for 2022, which suggest that people in the majority of Western countries will eventually consume more false information than genuine news.4

This is why the food sector must act, take the initiative and foster an honest, straightforward and evidence-based discussion, which healthcare professionals can share with nutrition influencers and consumers through multiple channels.

Thanks to more than 15 years of experience in the food sector and our work with food trade associations, businesses and institutions, we have produced a five-point guide that summarises our scientific approach:

 

  1. Give experts access todigital tools relating to Nutrition and Communication, offering real-time access to the latest trends making an impact on the sector.
  2. Carve out a new space for discussion and positioningdemonstrating the value of the sectorand its products in a credible, evidence-based and sustainable way and highlighting their benefits for Nutrition and Health.
  3. Develop a multi-channel communication and prevention strategyfor issues relating to Nutrition and Health.
  4. Mobilise our network of influencers and healthcare professionals.
  5. Implement a positive, high-impact consumer communication plan, delivered through Healthcare Professionals, Influencers and Content Marketing.

 


  1. Spanish National Observatory for Telecommunications and the Information Society – ONTSI, 2018
  2. *Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Spain. ‘Buceando en las tendencias alimentarias de los españoles, 2018.
  3. Aragón Food Industries Association (AIAA), 2019
  4. Technological Forecasts Report. Gartner Consulting, 2018.

CONÓCENOS

Other news

THE PROTEIN CHALLENGE: Securing and Diversifying Protein Sources

Changes in consumer habits are offering tremendous opportunity for innovators in food science to meet dietary demands with alternative protein sources, writes SPRIM FOOD.

Read More

SPRIM organises Leading International Conference on Practical Nutrition

On 12 and 13 February, more than 600 nutritionists and healthcare professionals will come together for the XXIV International Conference on Practical Nutrition, organised in collaboration with the Spanish Society of Dietetics & Food Science (SEDCA).

Read More

A NEW GOLDEN AGE FOR NUTRITION: Opportunities for the food sector to add value, communicate and innovate.

Today we are living in a New Era of Nutrition, with interest in healthy products growing exponentially year on year. No longer just a basic necessity, food has become a veritable social phenomenon

Read More


NUTRISCORE AND OTHER NUTRITIONAL LABELLING SYSTEMS: Advantages and disadvantages

NEWS & INSIGHTS

NUTRISCORE AND OTHER NUTRITIONAL LABELLING SYSTEMS:
Advantages and disadvantages

HABLEMOS

As consumers’ purchasing habits continue to steer away from the traditional face-to-face purchasing experience, nutritional labelling systems act as a means of communication to convey information regarding a food product’s contents to consumers. These systems are intended to empower the consumer, allowing them to make educated purchasing decisions based on nutritional facts. In order to encourage informed decisions, these systems need to be authentic, science-based and easily understood by the average consumer. Due to these requirements, varying nutritional labelling presentations have been embraced with differing measurement techniques. Some of these presentations take form through:

  • traffic light labels
  • health star rating labels
  • nutrition information panels

Although many systems pose real opportunities for consumers to tackle an unhealthy diet, some systems have been deemed unproductive, confusing, and inefficient.

Advantages of Nutritional Labelling Systems:
Nutritional labelling systems have the potential to improve the overall health of a society by providing the tools to allow consumers to make informed purchasing decisions. This means reducing calorie intake, trans fats, salt, and sugar, which in turn reduces the risk of chronic disease. Furthermore, systematic information provision gives consumers the opportunity to make health comparisons among products and brands. With nutritional labelling on products, the entire manufacturing of food products has the potential to transform, as food manufacturers will need to produce competitive products in terms of health to remain a brand of choice.

Spain’s Ministry of Health has chosen to follow France’s lead by incorporating the traffic light based Nutriscore system in grocery stores. This five letter color coded system ranging from A-E and green to red provides five levels based on an analysis of favorable and unfavorable food contents.

The Nutriscore system differs from other systems in that the ingredients within each product are interpreted as a whole. Rather than providing content specific information to the consumer, the consumer can understand the nutritional value of a product based on the letter and color code. This means the consumer does not need to analyze a product ingredient by ingredient and depending on serving size, which can be confusing and require a deep nutritional background. The color coded system allows easy identification of healthy food products, saving the consumer time and effort. The system also provides easy product comparisons between brands within a food category so that the healthiest product can be chosen.

Disadvantages of Nutritional Labelling Systems:
Nutritional labelling systems evidently have the potential to empower the consumer to make healthy purchases. However, the nature of the systems often causes confusion and misinterpretation among consumers. Nutrition can be measured and expressed in a variety of ways, each influencing consumer perception. For example, a labelling system can measure the nutritional value of a product based on meeting a nutrition standard, either by fitting a threshold or criterion. An example of this is claims of “reduced fat” or “sugar free,” which is disadvantageous in that a consumer may perceive these statements as indicators of healthy products. Product perception is therefore skewed. In the contrary, a products nutritional value can be expressed through evaluations or interpretations, which can take form through a rating scale.

The Nutriscore system is reflective of the rating scale, and has raised controversy. Though an advantage to the Nutriscore system is the quick and easy comparisons between brands and products, the consumer cannot make specific comparisons, which can be especially necessary when comparing, for example, artificial verses natural sugars.

Furthermore, problems as a result of content analysis have arisen. A D level rating, for example, was given to olive oil verses a B level rating given to Coca Cola. This rating was a result of high, but healthy fats within olive oil; because fats did not equate to nutritional value, a low score was given. The issue of product comparisons arises again here because within the Nutriscore system, consumers can only compare products within a food category. This means a consumer cannot accurately compare olive oil to a Coca-Cola, but can instead compare a Coco-Cola to another non-alcoholic beverage. Category specific comparisons raise confusion and misinterpretation among the average grocery shopper.

Why is Nutrition Labelling Important?
Studies have proven that despite their sometimes confusing nature, nutritional labelling systems are effective in influencing the consumer to make a healthy product decision. This is because without nutritional labelling systems, it is difficult to easily and accurately communicate a health-related message to the consumer. Consumers have the right to take control of what they put into their body, and nutrition labels provide them that opportunity. It is created so that educated decisions can be made when it comes to avoiding health concerns like diabetes and high blood pressure.

Other news

THE PROTEIN CHALLENGE: Securing and Diversifying Protein Sources

Changes in consumer habits are offering tremendous opportunity for innovators in food science to meet dietary demands with alternative protein sources, writes SPRIM FOOD.

Read More

SPRIM organises Leading International Conference on Practical Nutrition

On 12 and 13 February, more than 600 nutritionists and healthcare professionals will come together for the XXIV International Conference on Practical Nutrition, organised in collaboration with the Spanish Society of Dietetics & Food Science (SEDCA).

Read More

A NEW GOLDEN AGE FOR NUTRITION: Opportunities for the food sector to add value, communicate and innovate.

Today we are living in a New Era of Nutrition, with interest in healthy products growing exponentially year on year. No longer just a basic necessity, food has become a veritable social phenomenon

Read More