India: the ideal base for plant based

Vegetarianism has always been a way of life for Indians, a concept the meat-eating world is fast trying to emulate and adopt. Though a large part of India is vegetarian, just like it’s religions, dress and cultures, cuisines also vary from state to state and are as diverse as they are delicious. In many states there are more vegetarians and in others, meat eaters are in a bigger ratio. However, plant-based dishes also make up a huge part of their diets. Which is what makes India an ideal base for plant-based diets, as it is already a part of the cuisine culture.

Many Indians have also embraced veganism and have also turned towards plant-based diets due to health concerns. A survey in 2019 found that 63% of Indians were willing to replace meat with plant-based options. Which means there is a big market of over a billion people for plant-based protein products that can look and taste like meat. To bolster this movement towards plant-based, in 2019, the Indian government began subsiding clean meat research and there are also many studies that suggest Indian consumers may be more open to it than the meat-eating West.

“Indian businesses and scientists have immense potential to be at the centre of this development [towards plant-based foods], driving affordability and sensory experiences as well as cultural appeal in transformative plant-based foods,” said Varun Deshpande, Managing Director at GFI India.

Though India has a huge vegetarian population, ‘heavily promoted industrial diets’ which are saturated with refined starches, sugar and include more meat, are replacing the traditional diets. That’s why a shift back to vegetarianism and plant-based protein diets will be beneficial. There are many grounded reasons for why India is an ideal base for a plant-based protein movement.

Abundance of raw material:

India has 45,000 diverse plant species spread over 16 different agro-climatic zones. Research says India is the largest producer of dry beans like legumes and pulses which account for 34% of rea and 24% of production. This alone provides adequate raw material and crop biodiversity for alternate protein products.

Economical:

As compared to other countries, in India, the cost of production is relatively lower. Which makes a good case for India as an ideal platform and base for plant-based products. The lower cost of production leads to an economical and efficient way of producing the greener and healthier plant-based protein products.

Government support:

The Indian government fully endorses and supports a sustainable plant-based diet. In the #EatRightIndia campaign by the Ministry Of Health and Family Welfare, the government asks Indiato choose plant-based foods to help fight climate change, citing sustainable living. Not only that , the Indian government is supporting the research and development of cultivated meat, also known as “clean meat”. They arealso subsidising the creation of two new research institutes for cell-based meat. Even under the ‘Make in India’ initiative, there is now a lot of focus on the Food Processing sector.

Research strength:

When it comes to agriculture and food technology, India has a vast repertoire of research and knowledge, along with research institutes. The foundation for research is already available for and won’t have to be started anew for innovating and improving in the plant-based protein sector.

Location:

The plant-based movement is growing and succeeding rapidly in emerging markets like the Middle East, South East Asia and others. Being situated in close proximity to these countries is another plus point for India and makes it another benefit to being a base for the plant-based movement.

Increased receptivity:

According to a survey, it was reported that apparently 63% of Indians are extremely likely and willing to purchase plant-based meat and try clean meat. This percentage is remarkably more than other developed economies of the world like the US and China. This willingness to adapt and adopt plant-based proteins makes India an idea base for plant-based products.

To help increase the demand for plant-based food an institutional incentive by The Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO), Delhi, has been introduced. The FIAPO supports plant-based living with a growing emphasis on health and nutrition and in 2020, launched ‘the plant factor’, a food innovation challenge to Indian plant-based start-ups, entrepreneurs, businesses, restaurants, researchers, and students.

The Indian Film Industry, just like Cricket is also a huge influencer for Indians. And with many celebrities like Sonam Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Virat Kohli going vegan and adopting plant-based diets, there is a huge impetus for Indians to follow in their footsteps. These celebrities have a huge influence on their fans across the globe who try to emulate their lifestyles. Turning plant-based and adopting an ideology that promotes compassion towards the environment is a great thing to be influenced towards.

As the country’s appetite for plant-based meat increase, sustainable companies, restaurants and brands are rising to the challenge to provide people with a healthier way of living. One such brand is BVeg, a trusted and high quality co-manufacturer anddistributorfor plant-based protein both locally and globally. As the global plant-based food industry continues to grow, the supporting infrastructure will also need to grow rapidly to enable that growth, which is why India can bring a lot to the global industry by providing manufacturing capacity and scale-up expertise, as has been  done in areas such as software and even space tech.

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Sources

India ready plant based meat revolution Keshav Bagri

India sees huge growth in vegan options as plant based eating continues to rise

Times of India heralds benefits of plant based diet

The green movement the push for a plant based diet is getting bigger worldwide

Bveg foods: We want to become an end to end solution provider for the plant based industry