Alt Protein Watch: Sesame milk, insect protein, plant-based 'overengineering' and more feature in our round-up

‘Anything dairy can do, we can do too’: Could sesame milk be Asia’s mainstream milk alternative?​

Sesame’s nutritional and sustainable properties could make it Asia’s best option for traditional milk replacement, despite it being a relative newcomer in region’s plant-based dairy alternative space, claims a Thai firm seeking to pioneer the sector.

Thailand-based Sesamilk has developed sesame milk variants from both white and black sesame seeds, and at this stage Suntornmonkongsri is now confident that these products can replace conventional dairy milk in most everyday applications.

“Basically, anything that dairy can do, we can do it too,”​ she told FoodNavigator-Asia​.

Bugging the question: Asia insect protein sector cite upscaling and negative preconceptions as biggest hurdles​

Insect protein sector pioneers in Asia have cited both negative consumer perceptions as well as upscaling challenges as the most major hurdles the industry is currently facing in its battle to go mainstream.

At the recent ThaiFex-Anuga Asia 2022 trade show in Bangkok, the insect protein industry received strong spotlight and interest as a potential alternative protein source, with many related innovations winning awards and in-depth interest from both consumers and businesses from various regions across Asia and the Middle East.

No culture or context: Too many plant-based firms ‘overengineering ingredients’ amid aggressive expansion – Dynamic Foodco CEO​

Too many plant-based firms are ‘overengineering ingredients’ and ‘forcing solutions’ on investors and consumers, without paying enough attention to Asian culture and context, according to a regional expert in the alternative protein space.

That was the view of the CEO and founder of Singapore-registered plant-based foodtech firm Dynamic Foodco and ex Quorn exec, Dr Andy Kusumo.

He believes too many firms are pushing for consumers to give up meat without ‘thinking out of the box’.

“The trend among consumers is that they are aware of sustainability issues, but they do not want to give up meat. Plant-based firms are jumping too quickly to achieve the end-goal of sustainability without understanding what it takes, like grasping culture and context."​

Ten-year trends: CP Foods touts convenience, alt protein and safety as key purchase drivers for next decade​

Food and beverage MNC Charoen Pokphand Foods (CP Foods) has highlighted food safety, convenience and alternative proteins as major industry trends set drive consumer purchasing decisions in the next decade.

Thailand-based CP Foods believes that over the next 10 years, the trend of alternative protein will continue to grow in importance within the global food and beverage sector, but traditional animal meat is not set to disappear off the books just yet.

“The key thing with animal meat products such as chicken and pork today is that the general public is concerned about the potential food safety issues associated with these,”​ CP Foods Executive Vice President for International Trade and Business Development Anat Julintron told the floor at the recent ThaiFex-Anuga Asia 2022 event via a live virtual spotlight session.

Verifying vegan integrity: India mandates traceability as key criterion for firms to obtain regulatory approval​

The Food Safety and Standards Authority India (FSSAI) has specified supply chain traceability up to the manufacturer level as a key criterion for food firms manufacturing vegan products to obtain the relevant regulatory permissions.

Specific regulations to govern vegan foods and beverages have been in the works since last year, when FSSAI issued a notification on draft regulations specifying the creation of a new logo specifically for vegan foods in addition to labelling and display requirements.