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Going Vegan: The rise & challenges
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Saturday, 13 November, 2021, 12 : 00 PM [IST]
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Dr R.B. Smarta
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The traditional meat diet that has been followed for generations poses various environmental concerns. For instance, protein sources like eggs and meat contribute significantly towards greenhouse emissions. Moreover, animal husbandry results in tonnes of carbon dioxide release along with burdening the land biomass. This has given rise to various alternative diet sources, particularly the practice of going vegan.
The vegan industry in India is proving to be a robust alternative diet source. In a broader sense, vegan diet can be considered as a much stricter form of vegetarianism, where even milk and dairy products cannot be consumed as it is of animal origin.
The cultural diversity of India is extremely favorable since the Indian population wants to switch over to a sustainable diet plan. India is the lowest in the world when it comes to the consumption of meat. The concept of going vegan has not only been appreciated in the country but is also being adopted by various restaurants where various vegan-based food items are available.
The fact that a significant section of the Indian population is vegetarian and with a market value of $15.4 billion in 2020 and a CAGR of 26%, the growth of this industry is promising.
Some of the key players in the Indian market are Good Dot, Ahimsa Food, Soft Spot Corners, VegaLyfe, The Hershey Company, Evolved Foods, Evo Foods, PlantMade, MilkinOats, Epigamia and Piperleaf. Various dairy products such as ghee, yogurt, chicken and paneer (cottage cheese), are being replaced successfully by their vegan counterparts. Let us have a look at some of the driving factors that is leading to the growth of veganism.
Influencing factors
- Increased awareness about the health benefits: Plant-based diet is rich in fiber and vitamins. This diet provides an advantage over meat-based products such as helping to reduce the risk of cancer by 15%. Moreover, they are easy to digest and also provide additional benefits against diseases such as type-2 diabetes and obesity.
- Covid-19 pandemic: The pandemic resulted in a reluctance amongst the consumers regarding meat products, further escalating the use of a plant-based diet. Furthermore, consumers have become more aware of their health post-pandemic and hence have begun to switch to a plant-based diet.
- Availability of ingredients: Most of the plant-based food items are made of ingredients such as cereals, legumes and pulses that are easily available, leading to an increase in adoption. Furthermore, it facilitates the growth in sales of plant-based ingredients as well.
- Environmental concerns: This is arguably one of the strongest growth drivers. The environmental impact that animal-based products pose is vast and severely detrimental, encouraging the consumers to go vegan for environmental sustainability. The natural resources that the plant-based products utilize are less as compared to the meat-based ones.
- Animal welfare: The slaughtering of animals for meat-based products and the ethics behind it has always been a debatable topic. However, in terms of the market and its growth, this has been a driving factor.
These are some of the factors that result in the rise of the Indian vegan industry. However, with the increase in consumer demand, various obstacles too, need to be tackled that hamper the growth.
Challenges ahead
- Superiority of meat-based products: Vegan products are gradually growing and are replacing various traditional food items. However, one of the biggest challenges for the vegan market is to achieve the right taste and texture of plant-based products as that of their meat-based products. This results in a negative outlook among the consumers as they are used to the conventional products leading to a decline in acceptance. Research and technology-based approach are essential in order to overcome this obstacle.
- Availability and affordability: Currently, the usage of vegan products is found majorly only in the urban population. In order to increase the sales of vegan products, the supply chain must be diversified. Moreover, the price of such products is high as compared to their meat counterparts, leading to the reluctance in using the products among the middle-class population. The vegan industries must look into ways in cutting the costs of the products down and making them more affordable.
- Regulatory obstacles: One of the major challenges with respect to regulatory guidelines is that the definition of meat and plant-based meat, as well as dairy and plant-based dairy is not well defined. For instance, vegan butter or vegan ghee cannot be termed butter or ghee since they are different and poorly defined. This creates an ambiguity as words like “meat” and “dairy” are utilized in vegan products and their labels can be termed as ‘misleading’. Hence, in terms of regulations, well-defined definitions for plant-based and conventional foodstuffs are essential.
However, to improve matters, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare along with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has issued draft regulations for vegan food products on September 2021. It defines vegan products as well as issues guidelines for labeling, providing a special logo for vegan food.
The Green-Future The vegan lifestyle and its health benefits are gaining momentum that will lead to a significant rise in the future. Additionally, covid-19 has accelerated the importance of a healthy lifestyle and fitness in our lives. The hectic and sedentary lifestyle has been a hub for a variety of ailments.
Moreover, climate change and its adverse effect on the environment is the crisis of the hour that needs to be addressed. Going vegan is one of the many options for an alternative diet. However, all these avenues point to a single direction, saving the environment is the key to a sustainable future.
As leaders of the organisations, it is essential for us to understand that in order for a business to thrive in the future, a sustainable environment is essential and we should utilize such opportunities in our stride and contribute to a better future in the process.
(The author is vice president at HADSA)
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