It is not as tender as the “proper” St. Gallen bratwurst. And yet it feels similar to the bite. Except the skin is missing. The taste is finer and less salty than the original. It also contains more protein. We are talking about the new bratwurst made from pea protein from the Zurich start-up Planted.
Just in time for the barbecue season, the refrigerator section with the meat substitute products is experiencing significant growth. The food company Nestlé has just launched a vegan chicken fillet under the brand “Garden Gourmet”. Meat processor Bell, part of the Coop Group, is even entering three new vegetable protein products: two barbecue skewers and a mock pork steak.
In terms of choice, nothing stands in the way of a meatless barbecue for a long time. Most of the many new vegan products are aimed at the rapidly growing group of flexitarians.
About a quarter of the Swiss population already regularly eats meat substitutes, according to Coop’s “Plant Based Food Report 2023”. The most frequently cited reason, especially among 16 to 29 year olds, was environmental protection. A low-meat diet can make a big difference: According to the Swiss greenhouse gas inventory, 14.5 percent of emissions come from agriculture; the largest part is caused by livestock farming at 85 percent.
However, the large Swiss producers of meat substitutes cannot or only partially meet a growing customer need: the regional origin of the raw materials. The main ingredient, the powdered vegetable protein, comes almost exclusively from abroad.
Nestlé says it sources the vast majority of soybeans in its Garden Gourmet products in Europe. Planted, known for its chicken alternative, mainly sources pea protein from Western European countries. Still. Both announced that they wanted to switch to domestic protein as soon as possible.
Judith Wemmer, head of product development at Planted, says the switch is not only intended to follow consumer trends, but also to offer Swiss farmers an alternative to animal feed farming. There is interest: “We get a lot of questions from farmers,” says Wemmer. However, there is still a long way to go before domestic peas can be processed into meat substitutes on a large scale.
A first hurdle has been taken: since the beginning of this year, farmers have been receiving subsidies if they grow yellow peas, broad beans, soybeans and other legumes for the food industry. Previously, the federal government only paid them when the protein-rich plants ended up in feed troughs.
In Planted’s test laboratories, food engineers are currently testing how well the flour from different types of peas from Switzerland can be pressed into meat substitutes. The Bell subsidiary Green Mountain also started a pilot project in the summer of 2022 together with Swiss farmers. The big challenge is not the taste, but the consistency, says the start-up.
The nature of the pea powder plays a crucial role. The powder is no ordinary flour: for the production of meat substitutes, for example, the peas must be shelled and the protein content must be separated from the starch
This intermediate step in the production chain – processing the raw material into protein powder – is still missing in Switzerland. Wemmer explains that a new process has to be set up for every plant species, even variety, together with the collection points and factory operators. Planted is currently having many conversations with the various players.
Another project wants to market larger quantities of Swiss vegetable proteins for the first time this autumn: the farmers’ organization IP-Suisse, the grain mill group Group Minoteries and the food start-up Feldkost have set up a joint venture. In the spring, 175 IP farmers sowed field beans and yellow peas on an area of 400 hectares in total.
IP guarantees them a fixed purchase price, comparable to the price for Swiss wheat. Reto Ryser, project manager at IP-Suisse, says price is not the deciding factor for most participants. Legumes are popular because they fix nitrogen from the air and thus provide the soil with nutrients. The IP project leader says: “Farmers also see the trend towards meat substitute products and want to participate.”
Valérie Vincent is innovation manager at Groupe Minoteries and is responsible for the production of the protein powder. Many work steps are very similar to classic milling, she says. However, the company had to purchase new machines, including a peeling machine and a special mill.
The company Vaudois will process part of the powder into ready-to-use plants for cultivation. This also required a machine, a so-called extruder, says Vincent. However, the vast majority of protein concentrate is sold to food manufacturers or retailers. The search for buyers is currently underway.
Robert Finger, an agricultural economist at ETH Zurich, says reducing meat consumption is now a target in many countries’ climate strategies, including Switzerland. However, the word ‘meat’ does not appear in the strategy. Instead, there is talk of “adjusting consumption and production patterns” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
A holistic nutritional strategy is needed, which also takes into account the role of vegetable proteins as an alternative in production and consumption, says Finger.
Judith Wemmer also wants to improve the starting position for the cultivation of legumes. She is president of the Swiss Protein Association, the association of producers of meat substitutes that was founded in 2021. In addition to start-ups, the association also includes the Bell Food Group and the Migros Industry. The many subsidies for livestock farming would have a strong impact on consumer prices, says Wemmer.
Planted’s plant-based bratwurst currently costs up to one and a half times more than the animal-based original. If the pea powder comes from Switzerland in the future, the product will probably become even more expensive. According to Bell subsidiary Green Mountain, the new subsidies for legumes could not reduce raw material costs to a European level. “It remains to be seen whether the market is willing to pay more.” (aargauerzeitung.ch)
Source: Watson
I am Dawid Malan, a news reporter for 24 Instant News. I specialize in celebrity and entertainment news, writing stories that capture the attention of readers from all walks of life. My work has been featured in some of the world’s leading publications and I am passionate about delivering quality content to my readers.
