‘Plant-based proteins provide wholesome nutrition without downside of animal products’

India’s nascent plant-based protein market is set for explosive growth, says Sanjay Sethi, executive director of Plant Based Foods Industry Association. Sethi talked about the industry and the growth prospects it has in an interview

Sanjay Sethi, executive director of Plant Based Foods Industry Association, talked about the plant-based food industry and the growth prospects it has in an interview.

How big is the plant-based protein market in the country? In India, where dairy and chicken industries are huge, what is the scope of the plant-based protein market?

The plant protein market of India captures around 10 per cent of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) plant protein market. With the APAC region poised to see the largest growth of the alternative proteins sector, we can expect a tremendous rise in start-ups that will add to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and sustainable development.

The market for plant protein is expected to grow from a size of $347.1 million in 2018 to $565 million in 2023 in India. While these estimates cover the gamut of everything plant-based from protein powders to meat alternatives, there is a definite growth in awareness from the consumer end about the benefits of choosing plant-based proteins.

As the world moves towards a more plant-focused diet, Indian consumers are becoming more upwardly mobile, allowing them to afford these plant-based alternatives. Also, the price of the alternatives is decreasing slowly, with the increase in production capacity. This will ultimately make the plant-based alternative products feasible to people of a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds.

Increasing consumer demand for these products due to their perceived health benefits, including the prevention or reduction in risk of non-communicable diseases, digestive disorders, and obesity. Covid-19 has also fuelled the rising popularity of these products because they are viewed as ‘immunity-boosting’, while also reducing the risks of transfer of zoonotic diseases from domesticated animals to humans (preventing an outbreak/ epidemic/pandemic).

Many challenges are currently faced by the Indian plant-based startups and the existing whitespaces making it difficult for them to grow at the desired pace. But it is important to remember that the dairy and poultry industries took decades of huge investments, government support and subsidies to develop, establish and make India the leading producer of the former and fifth largest producer of the latter. Similar investments and government support will result in an exponential growth of the plant-based sector.

Plant proteins either in a properly planned diet or in any protein alternative (for eg. Plant-based protein powders, tofu) are easily able to avert the need to include animal-based proteins.

However, 80 per cent of the Indians are protein deficient which is to be taken into consideration while developing new plant-based alternative products. Animal protein provides a complete source of protein. It has also been linked with various negative health effects. Meanwhile, plant-based products or vegetarian products, provide a wholesome amount of nutrients along with proteins without the downside.

All the fundamental nutrients present in animal-based foods are also available in plant-based foods. However, certain additional supplements like Vitamin B12 and D are required. But plant-based foods also give us a way to bypass the undesired compounds like cholesterol, and high amounts of saturated fats that are present in animal foods. Enhancing the nutritional properties of plant-derived proteins is also possible by various methods. One, for example, is by traditional fermentation which is especially true in the case of increasing the levels of B vitamins.

How economical is plant-based protein? Can such protein compete with whey and other protein supplements?

While animal foods may contain more protein density per gram, plant proteins can avoid the numerous pitfalls associated with consuming animal-based proteins. Plant proteins stand out because they are healthier and more sustainable in the long run. Numerous protein alternatives developed from plants like peas, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat and even indigenous millets are gaining popularity on the grounds of being equal in the nutritional profile to meat, whey or even eggs and without the side effects of consumption of the animal-based proteins. Price parity can be achieved very easily for plant proteins as is being seen with the growing demand.

Plant protein is indeed economical. Even with comparatively less production of plant-based foods, the plant-based proteins are offered at similar pricing to that of whey proteins in the market. With the growing demand among the flexitarian/reducetarian population of India, the demand and production will shoot up while eventually, the price will fall.

What are the industry’s plans to make this protein more popular and acceptable in India?

The acceptable macronutrient distribution ranges (AMDR) are 45–65 per cent of your daily calories from carbs, 20–35 per cent from fats and 10–35 per cent from protein. The Indian diet has always been plant-heavy. By some estimates, India consumes the second-lowest amount of animal-based foods in the world. We see this as an advantage since the average person already knows that plant-based foods are a necessary part of our diets. The Indian Market Research Bureau suggests that protein deficiency in Indians is more than 80 per cent, and as per the recent National Sample Survey, India has a declining per capita protein consumption in both urban and rural areas.

Consumers have been moving away from cereals towards more protein-rich diets over the past decade, their receptive attitudes will heavily factor into a successful integration of these proteins. The food processing industry is one of the few sectors for which the government allows 100 per cent foreign direct investment, and that has spurred a growing number of joint ventures between Indian firms and international food processors in the area of plant-based meats. Government support to attract FDI in the food processing sector.

To make the idea of plant-based protein acceptable, the industry will have to educate the consumers about the benefits of a plant-based diet and showcase that these alternatives have added benefits of health and sustainability. It’s important to note that alternatives like soya chap, soya keema, kathal (jackfruit), tofu have been embraced by several Indians and are recognised as alternatives.

Article Credits: The Indian Express