There are many reasons why so much of the attention in the plant-based space is focused on dairy alternatives.
As we’ve discussed many times, people love dairy, and for most flexitarians who want to adopt more plant-based products into their diet, that taste and creamy indulgence is not something they want to give up.
This could be part of the reason why, according to Innova Market Insights, 50% of consumers globally say that familiar culinary formats are important for them when buying plant-based products, and 62% are going after familiar tastes and flavors.
As milk alternatives like oat, almond, and soy are starting to become the preferred choice for a significant portion of consumers, plant-based cheeses are still trying to gain their footing.
Why is this?
Plant-based cheeses still have a long way to go if they are going to become a fixture for average consumers. In a 2023 Unmet Needs Survey from the Plant-Based Foods Association (PBFA), using data from 84.51°, 73% of respondents agreed with this statement: “I wish there was a better plant-based cheese alternative that tasted like regular cheese, melted well, and didn’t have a grainy texture.” Respondents also noted that these cheeses seemed to have “plastic” or “unnatural” tastes, and lacked the creamy texture they were looking for.
Though this clearly illustrates the gap between consumer expectations and what currently exists, that doesn’t mean major progress hasn’t been made.
In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
That’s why I think it’s crucial for us to look at just how far plant-based cheeses have come and where innovative technology and ideas can lead this ongoing evolution in the future.
The First Wave of Plant-Based Cheeses
Going back to a time before plant-based products demanded their own sections at the supermarket, vegans and vegetarians still sought out ways to get the creamy taste of dairy in an animal-free alternative.
Without many commercially available offerings, people often opted for homemade alternatives, such as nut-cheeses.
These may have been enough to satisfy their own cravings, but these usually spreadable “cheeses” were, to put it bluntly, not prime for commercial viability.
They lacked the textural and taste standards needed to position them as an identifiable valid cheese alternative for most consumers.
Although these and improved homemade recipes have gained new life from social media, it happens at a time when the next wave is already reaching its peak.
The Second Wave of Plant-Based Cheeses
Whether we’re currently in the middle of this second wave or nearing the tail end of it, there is little debate on its impact on the space.
From around the late 2000s to the early 2010s, growing concerns for animal welfare and, later, the developing climate and sustainability crisis opened an opportunity for developers to start providing familiar and functional cheese alternatives.
“At this time, the idea was to try to mimic the functionality of the cheeses when you use them,” explains Dr. Lourdes Mato, Associate Principal Scientist–Applied Research at Edlong.
“For example, pizza cheese needs to melt and stretch, so in this wave of plant-based cheese, much of the attention was on functionality and appearance. Most of these products were made through combinations of fats, starches, hydrocolloids, and other ingredients.”
The success of these products has led to the establishment of the plant-based cheese segment as a significant part of the overall market. In 2022, the category reached USD 230 million in the US market, and it is even higher if you include alternative cream cheeses.
Yet, despite the rapid expansion of offerings, several major shortcomings have and continue to hold the products of this wave back.
“Two big drawbacks were that with an overemphasis on functionality, there wasn’t enough of a focus on flavor and nutrition,” says Dr. Mato.
She elaborates, “Even as developers worked to improve the flavor, people started to notice that the products couldn’t compete nutritionally with real cheese. You see, cheese is not only a fermented food, but it’s a highly nutritious food. It contains good quality and bioavailable protein, important vitamins and is an incredible source of calcium. So, consumers started to look beyond flavor and ask, What else am I getting from this?.”
Remedying this has proven extremely difficult for developers.
Fortifying with vitamins, nutrients, and, of course, plant-based proteins is part of the solution.
Unfortunately, this often introduces even more off-notes and texture issues while still falling short of nutritional parity.
Then, of course, there is the issue of many of these products being classified as Ultra-processed Foods (UPFs). While this doesn’t necessarily mean these products are unhealthy, as I discussed in my two-part series Rewriting the Narrative on Ultra-Processed Foods, it does give many consumers cause for pause.
This becomes even more critical when we consider that the #1 reason people choose plant-based is the perception that it’s “healthier”, yet 35% of people are looking for more natural and less artificial ingredients in these products.
A long list of hard-to-pronounce ingredients, or E numbers (EU), is the last thing these consumers want, especially if a delicious, high-performing product doesn’t back it up.
While tremendous innovation continues to occur and bring these alternative cheeses more in line with expectations, a Third Wave full of new approaches is already underway.
Check Part 2 now, where I explore how this third wave looks to leverage a traditional past for an innovative future.
About the Authors:
Topics: Cheese applicationsDairy-freeInnovationPlant-BasedVegan
Resource Type: Article
Resource Region: EULATAMUS
