Plant-based is the latest dietary trend to dominate the shelves, and it shows no sign of slowing down. This new trend is ingredients derived only from land or marine-based plant, or fermented ingredients suitable for plant-based eating. The ‘functional compound’ found within the original plant must also be retained or preserved in a meaningful amount after processing. Plant-based sources include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes, along with trending ingredients like tree bark, mushrooms and algae. We already knew Vegetarian and Vegan, so where does the Plant-Based position itself? Let’s make a brief reminder about Vegetarian and Vegan; Vegetarians don’t eat products or by-products of slaughter and has its own subcategories; Lacto-ovo Vegetarian, Lacto Vegetarian, Ovo-Vegetarian, Pescetarian, Vegan, Flexitarian Vegans also use the same foundation with vegetarian plus they don’t eat any food derived from animals (and in many cases wearing them too) such as, dairy, eggs, honey etc. Plant-based eaters are less restrictive and focus on incorporating as many whole fruits and vegetables as possible into their diet, along with whole grains and legumes. In a layman term, it is a typical consumer who did not want to go Vegan but needs a healthier lifestyle by choosing more vegetable intake and not because of belief or cause.

• Also, for Halal and Kosher consumer, they may choose to minimize their animal products and processed foods consumption – mainly for health reasons. There’s an opportunity to position plant-based products as an attractive option for those looking to achieve more variety with their eating habits, rather than only targeting those following a stricter diet.
• It is nutritionally suitable for everyone – Some added supplementation may be necessary for essential nutrients such as natural vitamin A, D and plant-based omega-3s Eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) but generally, eating a large number of fruits, vegetables and whole grains is a nutritionally beneficial option.

To better understand the main differences between Plant-Based and Vegan, we can summarize it with a table:

• Plant-Based focuses more on plant-based meat, egg and dairy alternatives
• Plant-Based seal defines what the food is made of, namely plants
• Plant-Based focuses on what to do with materials that are vegan but not plant-based and in some cases they compromised on allowing such ingredients, but only up to a 5% threshold.
• The Plant-Based concept is more flexible. It can also be preferred by people who want to include a more plant-based diet in their meals or who do not eat meat on certain days of the week, such as Flexitarian.

Certification or Trademark Opportunity

The most renown body to offer a Plant-based trademark is British Retail Consortium (BRC). BRCGS establishes standards and provides certification services in areas such as food, packaging and logistics, also published the Plant-Based standard in January 2020. The Plant-Based Global Standard Trademark; however, strict control of cross-contamination with the animal product must be adhered to maintain the status of the trademark. Meaning the manufacturer need to ensure that plant-based products are free of the material of animal origin.