Potentially critical nutrients in vegetarian and vegan diets
In its latest issue, Ernährungsumschau has published a two-part series dealing with the issue of nutrient deficiencies in a plant-based diet. The first part deals with the recommendations for a needs-based intake and discusses the potentially critical nutrients such as protein, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins B2, B12 and A. With the exception of vitamin B12, vegans can in principle cover their nutrient supply through food, but this often happens through precursors. Blood tests show that endogenous processing is often inadequate and an adjustment of food intake or supplementation should also be considered for the other substances. You can find the entire summary, including a more detailed list of potentially critical nutrients in vegetarian and vegan diets, in Steffi's magazine article on Food Campus.
Convenience food & food to go trends
The study "Expert Insights 2024: Convenience Food & Food to go" by the Nutrition Hub examines the current trends and developments in the area of convenience food, i.e. "ready-to-eat products or ready meals such as canned food, frozen food, complete meals for the microwave, baking mixes, instant pudding and packet soups, which are already ready to eat and may only need to be reheated". With a focus on social changes, increasing consumer demands for health, sustainability and taste as well as technological innovations, it provides a comprehensive overview of the direction in which the market is moving. A key finding is that supply is increasingly shifting towards healthier, more sustainable and plant-based products, while at the same time there is a demand for greater variety and quality. The role of packaging and increasing digitalization are also highlighted as important factors for the future of the segment.
Three key learnings from the study are:
🌱 Consumers are placing ever greater value on healthy, sustainable and tasty convenience products, which is driving the market to innovate and improve quality.
🤖 Technological developments such as smart packaging and meal planning apps support the trend towards convenience food by increasing user-friendliness and the availability of information.
🥡 Sustainability, particularly in terms of packaging and ingredients, is increasingly becoming a key factor in consumer acceptance of convenience food and food to go.
Further studies & articles
New definition for precision fermentation:
The Precision Fermentation Alliance and Food Fermentation Europe establish a refined definition for precision fermentation.
Surcharge for plant-based alternatives has fallen:
In 2022, ProVeg compared the prices of plant-based and animal-based foods on a random basis. The result: on average, 53% more had to be paid for the plant-based basket. One year later, ProVeg took another look at the supermarkets - what has changed since then?
DGE dietary recommendations: more sustainable nutrition on the rise
The DGE recommends less meat, more nuts and a greater awareness of the origin of food. Drink more water, eat less sweets and eat more plants instead - not only for your own health, but also for the planet.
Infinite Roots on course for success
Cathy Hutz from Infinite Roots, one of the many exciting speakers at our German Fermentation Summit, spoke to NewMeat about Infinite Roots' successes, financing rounds (the Series B financing round recently raised 58 million US dollars in February) and collaborations. The article is available free of charge after registration.
