From vegan to pegan
While the continued rise of plant-based diets and meat alternatives may not be news to many, look out for some emerging sub-trends that are likely to be less familiar.
Pegan eating – a vegan-inspired version of the paleo diet – is the latest food craze expected to become mainstream in the next 12 months, according to EHL Ingredients. “The pegan diet involves eating lots of fresh ‘clean’ whole plant foods, fruit and vegetables, and cooking from scratch,” explains EHL joint managing director Tasneem Backhouse.
“It includes coconut and olive oils, nuts and seeds – all rich in nutrients – and herbs and spices feature heavily to add flavour and colour to meals.”
EHL also predicts vegan ‘fast food’ to feature more prominently in the year ahead. Its view will be backed up at the Sustainable Foods Summit in San Francisco later this month, which will show how a growing number of restaurants, cafés and similar outlets worldwide are adding vegan options to their menus.
“Pizza Express, for example, debuted the world’s first vegan Just Egg pizzas in Asia last summer,” says a spokeswoman for Ecovia Intelligence. “And in New Zealand, Domino’s has just introduced vegan cheesy garlic bread following the success of its vegan pizzas.
“Moving Mountains, meanwhile, is introducing its meatless ‘bleeding’ burgers in UK pubs. These examples demonstrate that demand for vegan and plant-based foods is becoming global, with product innovations and distribution driving market growth.”
