Grant Thornton touted this growing market segment as the nexus between the dual trends of health and sustainability in food.





Here are some highlights from the evening, brought to you by your trusty good-food blogger, who was typing relentlessly throughout the presentation, trying to focus even though Miyoko’s Kitchen cheeses were in the vicinity.





The highlights:

1. This is not a drill.







Fedele Bauccio is co-founder and CEO of Bon Appétit Management Company, a leading provider of café and catering services to corporations, colleges, and universities. If anyone has his finger on the pulse of millennials’ eating habits, it’s Fedele. Here’s what he had to say about the “trend” of plant-based eating:

I’ve seen a big shift in the last three years where young people today are seeing the issue between agriculture and public health. But they also see the other issues in terms of animal welfare and climate change, and they are concerned about what they’re putting in their bodies. I don’t believe this is a fad; this is a trend that is going to get stronger and stronger.





2. Consumers, not companies, are leading this movement.



—Which is exactly why Brian Tockman, principal of General Mills’ corporate venturing arm , is so excited about investing in plant-based foods. Brian shared:

There are multiple reasons why we’re excited to jump into this with both feet, and the first is because it’s consumer driven. These [plant-based] options resonate with consumers and bring them back to the nostalgia of their old favorite foods that they’ve chosen not to eat anymore due to health concerns or other motivations. Companies are responding to this consumer demand with completely novel products that are really exciting to see.

Victor Friedberg is co-founder and managing director of S2G Ventures which invests in transformative companies that are changing the food system for the better. After some investigating, Victor realized that consumers were driving this new leading edge of food, and it changed his entire approach to investing:

When we launched S2G, we did a full tour of Big Food, Big Retail, Big Ag, etc., to discover their challenges and find opportunities. We were looking for ventures that addressed profits, people, and the planet. After a couple of months of doing that, we fundamentally changed the nature of the fund. We were able to just focus on profits. And that’s because we were following the demand of a consumer that was already seeking out these benefits. The consumer has fundamentally changed. They want more health and sustainability and value out of their food.





So to all the good-foodies out there: Thank you for using your money and influence to guide companies toward healthier, more sustainable options. The whole world is reaping the benefits.





3. Plant protein is hot, but there’s more to plants than protein.



—Like, for instance, massive environmental and health benefits. Miyoko Schinner, founder and CEO of plant-based cheese empire Miyoko’s Kitchen, explained:

It’s not just the nutrient profile of animal protein versus plant protein that we have to think about. It’s the environmental consequences as well. We have to think about “nutrients” for the health of the planet as well. Right now, we use about 80–90 percent of grains and legumes to feed livestock that we eat. We can’t help feed the world without solving that problem in our country. We need to expand the market for plant-based foods to actively improve the sustainability of our food system.





Preach, Miyoko!

And finally—

4. Taste is still king.



Consumers care more than ever about the impact of the foods they put in their bodies. But if it doesn’t taste good, health and sustainability be damned. No one’s going to eat it.

Impossible Foods is masterful at creating products that satisfy carnivores and plant-based eaters alike with its meaty plant-based burgers, as COO David Lee explained:

We look at how to transform food so that people can enjoy it but it also conserves resources. You have to start with a great-tasting burger. If you don’t have that, all of the ancillary benefits are pragmatically null. We want to create a market for the meat eater where they can join a movement where they’re having a great burger and helping the planet.



