With more and more Australians being medically diagnosed with food intolerances and allergies than ever before, there’s a greater need than ever to cater to these dietary requirements in your customers. Add to that the growing number of consumers who are simply choosing to modify their diet, for example by going gluten free or by eating more plant-based proteins in place of meat – without any medical reason for doing so – and it’s obvious that your menu needs to contain meals which meet their preferences, or they’ll take their business elsewhere.

With its initial positioning of a vegetarian/vegan option having quickly to shifted to that of an animal protein alternative targeting the growing number of ‘flexitarian’ diners, in recent times the plant-based category has undergone a consolidation as end-users go for clean label over ‘numbers’ and quality wins out.

There’s no question that modifying your menu to make it more inclusive of multiple dietary preferences like gluten free, vegan and plant-based makes sound business sense. It enables you to expand your potential customer base, and with more and more Australians being diagnosed with food intolerances and allergies than ever before, this is not just a case of catering to trends – it’s about delivering menu options which satisfy the evolving needs of the modern foodservice market.

The plant-based foods category took off prior to Covid and has since undergone considerable consolidation – shifting from a mainstream alternative focused on vegans and vegetarians, to a complementary meal type designed to appeal to flexitarian eaters. At the same time, we’ve seen chefs move away from manufactured plant-based proteins with artificial additives in favour of a return to wholefoods-based ingredient as a basis for their plant-based meals. Three of FSR’s consultant chefs tell us more.