From theplantbasemag.com
Alongside the growth of the plant-based food and beverage category, we’ve seen a more diverse range of products on the shelf than ever before. Brands are striving not only to provide more choice for vegetarian and vegan consumers, but to produce exciting products that can generate curiosity from flexitarian and omnivorous shoppers, attracting them to the category with hopes of proving that plant-based alternatives can stand up to their animal-derived counterparts.
Many brands have been around since before the plant-based boom saw vegan alternatives trickle into the mainstream – and as options in the category increase, so do consumer expectations. With so many products now available, standing out as a unique offering in this space is becoming more challenging. In many cases, fine-tuning formulations to upgrade areas such as mouthfeel, flavour or nutritional profile might be the difference between a product that stirs up consumer buzz and a product that fades into the background among a crowded fixture.
We take a look at how different brands are giving their recipes an upgrade to address shifting trends and consumer needs…
Taste and texture
Taste and texture have historically been key challenges for the plant-based industry, with several research studies showing taste is the primary driver for food purchases.
Last month, a report from non-profit organisation Nectar – titled ‘Taste of the industry 2025’ – identified texture as the biggest opportunity to improve the sensory qualities of plant-based meat products, with such products facing challenges like ‘mushy,’ crumbly and grainy textures. The report recommends that brands and manufacturers follow a ‘taste-centric’ development approach, while retailers should prioritise products that deliver on taste claims.
These opportunities for taste and textural improvement expand far beyond meat alternatives. The alt-dairy category, in particular, has seen an increase in reformulation in recent years as brands seek to better emulate traditional the creamy and indulgent mouthfeel of products such as ice cream.
Unilever’s Magnum ice cream stick brand introduced what it claims is its ‘most velvety and luxurious’ vegan ice cream recipe in February this year, harnessing a new formulation based on soya and coated in the brand’s signature vegan chocolate.
According to the brand, the new recipe offers a smoother taste and texture than the previous recipe used for its plant-based products, which was developed with a pea protein base.
Another of Unilever’s ice cream brands, Ben & Jerry’s, unveiled a new ‘extra smooth’ oat milk base last year, aiming to improve the non-dairy ice cream experience for both plant-based and flexitarian consumers. The reformulation followed an extensive development process, finding that the oat base was most popular thanks to its smoother, richer texture.
Dairy-free cheese company Daiya also reformulated its recipe in 2023 following a multimillion-dollar investment in fermentation technology, promising consumers an ‘incredible dairy-like melt’ and ‘deliciously balanced’ cheese flavour thanks to its cultured Daiya Oat Cream blend. Melanie Domer, the company’s chief commercial officer, said the advancement was expected to “rejuvenate consumer confidence” in the category and boost its market potential.
Elsewhere in the US, food-tech company Eat Just debuted an upgraded formulation of its mung bean-based egg alternative product, Just Egg – which is set to launch in the UK and EU following a partnership with Vegan Food Group, announced this week – last summer.
The company said it now offers a ‘cleaner’ flavour profile, allowing the product’s ‘pillowy’ and creamy texture to shine through. This aims to provide a more neutral palette for traditional egg-based dishes such as scrambled egg, omelettes and quiches.
Furthermore, the new ‘V5’ iteration – the latest in a series of updates to the recipe since its original launch – is said to match a conventional egg’s functionality ‘more closely than ever before’ in bakery applications, providing better binding and aeration qualities.
Health and nutrition
Plant-based brands have also worked hard to enhance the nutritional profile of their products, a particularly pertinent element given that many consumers who shift toward eating more plant-based foods do so in order to reap health benefits.
While being plant-based does not necessarily make a food product inherently healthy, foods made with natural, plant-sourced ingredients can offer key health benefits, such as providing fibre – an essential nutrient that research shows most consumers are falling short on when it comes to meeting recommended daily dietary guidelines.
However, there is room for improvement, with many plant-based brands working to improve the health credentials of their products.
Salt reduction is one example of efforts to make products healthier, particularly within the meat alternatives category. Retailer Lidl announced enhancements to its range of meat alternatives last month, reducing more than 30% of the salt across its own-label vegan meatballs and minced meat products.
Martine van Haperen, nutrition and health expert at industry awareness organisation ProVeg International, commented on Lidl’s initiative: “Fortunately, we already know from research that meat substitutes have a healthier composition on average than comparable meat products. For example, most plant-based sausages contain less saturated fat and more dietary fibre than pork sausage.”
“But meat substitutes are often just as salty as animal meat. That is why it is a very positive development that Lidl has reduced the salt content in its meat substitutes and has introduced more healthy meat substitutes.”
As a result of the reformulation, more than two-thirds of Lidl Netherlands’ own-label meat alternatives now meet the Wheel of Five nutritional standards, developed by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre to highlight the types of foods consumers should prioritise eating regularly to maintain a healthy diet.
With high-protein products continuing to prove popular, not just in the active nutrition space but widely across the F&B sector, plant-based brands are also seeking to boost the protein content of their offerings to ensure they stand up to animal-based sources.
This has been a particular challenge in alt-dairy, with many plant-based alternatives being lower in protein compared to those made with traditional dairy.
British dairy alternatives company Nush reformulated its yogurt range with a new higher-protein recipe this January, with each product in the range now containing a minimum of 16g of plant-based protein per tub. The natural SKU offers 23g in a 350g format.
Nush’s revamped recipe is made using a blend of European almonds and fava beans, said to offer a creamier and thicker texture as well as a protein boost.
Clean labelling is another critical consideration, as demand for products with simpler ingredients labels and no artificial additives increases. Concerns around the health impacts of ‘ultra-processed foods’ have been all over the headlines in recent years, with the plant-based category facing criticism over the highly processed nature of some meat alternatives.
Beyond Meat responded to this demand last year by reformulating its Beyond Beef and Beyond Burger products to a new recipe, named ‘Beyond IV’. Its new formulation included the incorporation of avocado oil, enabling the brand to reduce saturated fat content by 60% while maintaining a juicy texture.
The products offer 21g of protein per serving, derived from a blend of peas, brown rice, red lentils and faba beans. They also contain 20% less sodium than the previous version.
Smaller brands are also taking steps to make their labels cleaner. Three Robins, a UK brand producing dairy-free beverages for families, announced it had removed the last trace of added sugar in its original chocolate milk last month, while also removing the acidity regulator (dipotassium phosphate) in its barista oat milk to underpin its ‘clean deck’ credentials.
Sustainability
One more crucial consideration for brands is sustainability, with traceability becoming an increasingly pressing issue as consumers demand to know how products are made and where ingredients originate.
Ethical and sustainable sourcing plays a big role here, with companies choosing to use seasonal and locally sourced plant-based ingredients not only to support local farmers, but to reduce food miles and their overall environmental footprint.
Alongside its further clean label reformulation efforts, Three Robins has transitioned to 100% Scottish Oats over the past year. And major player in the space, Alpro UK – owned by dairy giant Danone – announced a multi-million-pound investment in bringing 100% British oats to its beverages through a partnership with the Navara oat mill in Kettering, UK.
The oat mill is less than ten miles away from Alpro’s own factory, with most of the farmer suppliers within 80 miles of the mill. Alpro said the move will significantly cut its food miles while giving local farmers new avenues for their crops.
This follows research by Circana revealing that only 1% of the oat drinks sold in the UK have been guaranteed to be made from 100% British oats.
As the plant-based food and beverage category shifts into a new era, reformulation is proving to be a powerful tool for brands aiming to exceed evolving consumer expectations and adapt to current industry trends.
These recipe upgrades underscore broader industry efforts to craft plant-based products that can truly appeal to all consumers, no matter what their key priorities. With continued innovation and investment from brands, reformulation is unlocking new potential across taste, nutrition and more.
With the rise of cleaner labels and a closer eye on product quality, The Plant Base is excited to see how brands continue to level up their offerings as we welcome in the next wave of animal-free innovation.
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