July 20, 2015
The explosive buzz around plant-based and plant-centric diets has opened seemingly endless opportunity for new brands and product innovation. It's a trickier trend, though, for foodservice operators to navigate. Redesigning menus is no small undertaking. Businesses also need to plan menu options that will meet not only the health priorities of consumers, but their in-the-moment cravings, and the two don't always coincide.
A new Culinary Institute of America-sponsored report from the market research firm Datassential, “Shifting the Protein Focus,” has identified some opportunities and tips for operators to try to seize the plant-based diet market opportunity while improving consumer health and perhaps also cutting costs.
A key finding in the report, which is the result of surveying 634 operators and 1,013 consumers, showed that customers want reduced animal protein portions—or alternative protein sources—more than operators are providing them. That means there’s huge opportunity to expand alternative protein options—as long as it’s done in a savvy way.