Food Product Innovation: How to link Sustainability and Market

According to recent estimates close to half of all human impact on the environment, such as loss of bio-diversity, is directly and/or indirectly related to food production and consumption. If society wants to reduce this impact, changes in the production and consumption of meat are most challenging of all food product categories. It may be clear that on the one hand there is a need for society to make food production systems more sustainable. On the other hand food products are manufactured and sold in a market oriented system. Consequently new protein-rich products must have the characteristics and quality to appeal to the consumer. Many of the non-meat alternatives that are currently on the market do not meet these criteria. To be able to produce protein-rich products that meet consumer demands it is necessary to have a closer look at the changes that occur in the market and in consumer’s perceptions and preferences. New products should be defined that meet sustainability criteria and at the same time are attractive for consumers. A chain oriented approach should be followed in product innovation going from market via processing conditions up to raw material composition and properties. Using this approach large reductions in environmental impact of the supply chain will be accomplished but a coördinated approach is required and eventually the design of new supply chains. In this paper we will follow the product innovation route and in the end present a case study of how the need for sustainability can be linked to market demands.