The Future Of Plant Based Products In The Philippines

With all the issues happening around us – climate change, sustainability, food security, animal welfare, and supply chain, people have become more wary of their way of living. This includes people’s eating habits and the ethical and environmental concerns that go with it. Fortunately, food innovation continues to flourish, with experts working on sustainable and eco-friendly food sources. 

For the longest time, our main source of protein was animal meat directly from a farm. But animal agriculture is a major contributor to deforestation, water scarcity, and climate change. The introduction of Plant-based meat was meant to be a game changer since it requires less land, water, and energy to produce. 

Other than the positive impact it has on the environment, consumption of plant-based meat may lower the risk of heart disease. A recent study by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals that participants have seen improvements in cardiovascular disease risk factors. This may be due to a reduced intake of saturated fat and higher fiber intake as compared to a diet with high consumption of animal products.  

However, meat-free products are far from perfect as they may contain higher amounts of sodium. Pubmed Central conducted a research study last 2019 and found that the average content of sodium in plant-based products is less than 500mg per 100g. Although the sodium content may vary depending on the ingredients used, plant-based meat may have six times the sodium as compared to animal products.  

One of the biggest chax`llenges for the industry is the replication of the taste and texture of meat. To further understand the differences between a plant-based and a meat-based product, we conducted a blind tasting activity in our office in Makati, Philippines. The main goal is to find out how well received the plant-based brand would be.  

Our team prepared two kinds of luncheon meat, a plant-based meat from Omnifoods labeled as “Brand A” and a meat-based product bought from the local supermarket labeled as “Brand B”. Participants must taste both brands and then take a guess which one is the meat-free brand. Those who were able to guess correctly received a tasty afternoon snack!  

There was a total of 30 participants who joined in the blind-tasting activity and most of them correctly guessed the answer. One of the top reasons how they were able to guess correctly was the difference in texture. However, participants who ate the “Brand A” luncheon first did not notice that it was the plant-based version, only until they had the familiar taste of “Brand B” would they realize which one was meatless. Other comments we received were that “Brand A” tasted good and was not dry at all while “Brand B” was the saltier of the two brands. 

When asked about their awareness of the brand and experiences about plant-based products, some participants mentioned that they have tried meatless products before while some say that they have seen it in the supermarket but were not big fans of meatless products. There were also others who were quite knowledgeable and familiar with the Omnifoods brand and would love to have it added to their office breakfast. 

In conclusion, the market for Plant-based products such as Omnifoods continue to grow in the country and more Filipinos are open to making changes in their dietary choices. Taste and texture-wise meat-less products still have room for improvement, but it’s only a matter of time before they catch up. 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer and do not reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of the company. 

Reference: 

Crimarco, A., et al. (2020). A randomized crossover trial on the effect of plant-based compared with animal-based meat on trimethylamine-N-oxide and cardiovascular disease risk factors in generally healthy adults: Study With Appetizing Plantfood—Meat Eating Alternative Trial (SWAP-MEAT). The American journal of clinical nutrition, 112(5), 1188-1199. 

Curtain, F., & Grafenauer, S. (2019). Plant-based meat substitutes in the flexitarian age: an audit of products on supermarket shelves. Nutrients, 11(11), 2603.