Pea sausages and soy mince: what are the prospects for plant-based meat on the Russian market

The production of alternative products from plant protein is a stable global trend. Analysts expect that by the end of 2023, demand for plant-based MEAT in RUSSIA will grow by about 15%. Inflation may contribute to the popularity of pea cutlets . Among the food products whose prices have increased most significantly, 44% of Russians name meat and chicken. This data from recent opinion polls is provided by the Public Opinion Foundation. The magazine “Company” examined whether plant-based meat could become a profitable alternative.

Plant-based expansion

Plant-based meat appeared on the shelves of Russian stores in 2019 - these are products of the world's most famous manufacturer, Beyond Meat .. You could buy its products in the retail chains “Azbuka Vkusa”, “Lenta”, “Utkonos”, “Gorod-Sad” and “Perekrestok”. The restaurant chains Pizza Hut, TGI Friday's and Teremok experimented with plant-based meat from the American company.

The American manufacturer entered the market in 2009. Then the startup attracted many famous investors - from MICROSOFT co-founder Bill Gates and actor Leonardo DiCaprio to former McDonald's CEO Don Thompson. The company produces steaks, burgers, sausages, meatballs and minced meat with the taste and texture of beef, pork and chicken. Protein sources include peas , mung beans, faba beans and brown rice.

By 2030, meat made from soy, peas, wheat and other plant-based ingredients will capture approximately 3% of the traditional meat market. According to Grand View Research, sales will increase 25% annually and reach approximately $25 billion within seven years. Over the same time, livestock products will bring producers
$1–1.3 trillion.

At the end of 2020, according to a Deloitte Consulting study , Russians ate 2.6 trillion rubles worth of plant-based meat. At the same time, local products appeared in the country: the production of alternative protein products was launched by the Efko company. She makes meat from soy, peas and rice. Homemade cutlets, burgers, minced meat and nuggets are available to consumers.

Currently, several more companies are engaged in the production of plant-based meat in Russia: Nemyaso, Welldone, Hiburger, Greenwise, Meatless.

In 2022, the Azbuka Vkusa supermarket chain also began producing plant-based meat under its own brand. The raw material for it is legumes. Retailer Magnit also announced plans to open a similar production facility, noting high demand among consumers. According to the trading network, in the first half of 2023, sales of frozen semi-finished products from vegetable meat increased, compared to the same period last year, by 2.5 times, both in kind and in monetary terms. The hits that showed triple growth are cutlets and dumplings.

By the end of 2023, demand for plant-based meat will increase by about 15%, according to analysts at Infoline. According to them, the growth in popularity of alternative meat began in December last year. The next peak of activity occurred during the barbecue markets in May–August. Moreover, such products have become in demand not only among vegans. Regular consumers are also attracted to plant-based meats, including as a source of protein for those observing religious dietary restrictions and for those following various diets. Experts expect a surge in demand during the preparation for the New Year's feast.

The ambassador of plant-based meat in 2022 was Deputy Prime Minister and HEAD of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov. He said that he tried plant-based meat twice in blind tastings and could not distinguish it from natural meat by taste.

“You have to be such a great gourmet to do this,” Manturov admitted.

The minister suggested that bias towards new products is not related to their taste, but to the mentality of the consumer. However, he himself admitted that he was not ready to experiment with everything. Thus, a burger with plant-based meat, which added an insect concentrate from the Modern Food Technology company, surprised the official. However, he is committed to including plant-based meats in his diet.

“The world uses black soldier fly protein, and we are keeping up with the times. We all probably need to work a little with our mentality, and the black lion may “come in.” But we need to try,” the head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade is convinced.

Green light for new meat

According to an international study published in the journal Nature Communications, cutting out half of animal products such as pork , chicken , beef and MILK could “almost completely” stop the destruction of forests for pastures.

Scientistsfound that switching to plant-based alternatives could reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with agriculture by 31%. This is because the production of animal products requires many more resources. The researchers calculated that if half of animal products were replaced with plant-based alternatives, the environmental impact would be significantly reduced in a matter of years. For example, global agricultural area would decrease by 12%, freeing up 653 million hectares. And by 2050, water consumption could be reduced by 10% and greenhouse gas emissions by 2.1 billion tons of CO2 equivalent per year.

However, doctors are not very supportive of this scenario. Replacing 10–25% of meat products with plant-based alternatives will not lead to a deficiency of microelements and other beneficial substances, Professor Barbara Vismanos, research coordinator at the Center for HEALTH Sciences at the University of Guadalajara, said in an interview with Carbon Brief. However, when replacing half of animal food, the health risk increases significantly. Today we can draw conclusions about this by observing the difficulties that vegetarians face.

Today, plant-based alternatives are not a complete replacement for meat of animal origin, says Associate Professor of the Department of Restaurant Business at the Russian University of Economics. G.V. Plekhanov, Ph.D. Elena Myasnikova.

“Plant proteins are limited in the content of certain essential amino acids, such as lysine, and most of them are at the lower limit of the body’s daily requirement. In addition, legume protein is difficult to digest in the human body, on average 70%, while animal protein is 93–96%,” she explained.

At the same time, meat of plant origin contains lectins and saponins.

“Lectins in legumes are known for their ability to reduce protein breakdown, disrupting the digestion process, and increasing the load on the pancreas,” the assistant professor warned.

Saponins contained in soybeans can destroy red blood cells, causing damaged cells to lose hemoglobin. This is fraught with anemia, Myasnikova warned. She added that soybean saponins are not destroyed even by heat treatment.

“Also, plant-based meat does not contain sufficient micro- and macroelements and vitamins necessary for the human body. Legumes do not contain vitamin B12, which is necessary for nutrition for the brain, normal functioning of the NERVOUS SYSTEM, and the formation of red blood cells. Iron, which traditional meat is rich in in digestible form, is not present in alternative meat,” the expert noted.

Meanwhile, there is still no consensus on the transition from an animal to a plant-based diet. For example, Rachel Santo, a food and climate research fellow at the think tank World Resources Institute, cited by Carbon Brief, notes that by most measures, meats from plant proteins have a better nutritional profile than the foods they are intended to replace. This is because they contain less fat, saturated fat and cholesterol, but more fiber. And the amount of protein remains the same.

Distant perspective

The development of new protein products continues actively throughout the world. This is facilitated by a number of factors, notes Marina Petrova, deputy chairman of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry Committee for the Development of Entrepreneurship in the Agro-Industrial Complex, CEO of Petrova 5 Consulting. So far, the main one is environmental: this is how the scenario of conscious consumption is implemented. But with a reduction in production costs, the economic factor may come first. Thus, in many countries, soy meat and other substitutes are already much cheaper than natural meat.

Elena Myasnikova also agrees with this opinion. According to the expert, about 47% of Russians aged 16 to 40 have already included or are ready to include plant-based meat in their diet.

According to Marina Petrova, the growth rate of the domestic market for alternative milk and meat has slowed down due to the massive relocation of Russians, since a significant part of the target audience was among those who left.

“It should be noted that the plant-based meat market is concentrated mainly in Moscow. The high cost and limited territorial distribution do not allow us to talk about the popularization of alternative meat in modern conditions,” Myasnikova shares a similar point of view.

According to Petrova, plant-based meat replacement is a product of the future, but a mass transition is unlikely to happen in the coming years. She recalled that even in the countries of the European Union, focused on the “green” agenda, “the share of plant-based alternatives for the same milk only recently exceeded 20%.”

Only about 14% of the world's inhabitants prefer plant-based foods. In 2022, there were 100 million vegans and 800 million vegetarians in the world. In Russia, a large study of eating habits was conducted in 2019 - then about 2% of respondents called themselves vegetarians.

Myasnikova is convinced that rapid growth of the artificial meat market in Russia should not be expected. In her opinion, there are several reasons: economic, historical, geographical.

“In many regions of Russia, they consume a significant amount of animal products, and, above all, meat and dairy. This is due to food traditions that have developed over many centuries, which cannot be abandoned,” she noted, adding that fashion trends associated with the culture of consumption of plant-based meat cannot influence eating behavior on the scale of entire regions or countries.

“The development of a culture of consumption of alternatives is a long process that requires competent, planned and expensive work with the consumer, and the result will depend on the correct presentation of such products,” Petrova emphasized.

However, it is also important to take into account that in some federal districts livestock farming is more developed than crop farming.

“Most of Russia’s territory is located in the northern region, and agricultural land accounts for 13% of the total area, this is another limiting factor in the use of plant products for the production of so-called “alternative meat,” Myasnikova concluded.