FDBusiness.com

Kerry, the Taste & Nutrition company, has been ranked #5 on the FAIRR list of global food companies who are actively promoting and supporting plant-based foods and beverages. Tesco and Unilever were in the top two spots and rated as “pioneers,” while Kerry joined Nestlé (#3) and Marks & Spencer (#4) in the “proactive” section, confirming Kerry’s commitment to continue to expand its successful plant protein portfolio and deliver on customer demands for healthier, more nutritious and sustainable plant protein. The full FAIRR list can be viewed here: https://www.fairr.org/sustainable-proteins/

“At Kerry, we pride ourselves on supporting our customers through the delivery of more sustainable solutions. We are delighted to be recognised among the industry leaders in the FAIRR Initiative’s report on the global shift toward alternative sustainable proteins,” says Juan Aguiriano, Kerry Group Head of Sustainability.

“Consumers are expanding their consumption of plant protein, an area in which there has been constant and revolutionary innovation in recent years. To address this, Kerry recently made a significant expansion to our plant protein range for food and beverage companies. We now offer an extensive range of plant-based protein solutions, with superior taste and which are nutritionally optimised by the inclusion of the full complement of essential amino acids.  The main challenges with plant protein can be the off-notes, gritty texture and mouthfeel in products. Our extensive R&D efforts have enabled us to fully understand these challenges and develop effective solutions to address them. A recent successful launch for Kerry is our ProDiem™Refresh, a clear, vegan protein that is stable in low-pH beverages and which supports a clean product label (no stabilisers required). ProDiem™Refresh, is a game-changing protein product that offers consumers a great-tasting, refreshing alternative to traditional protein shakes.”

Kerry’s recent expansion broadens the company’s already impressive range of proteins for food and beverage companies. Today’s consumers, who are more informed than ever, are accelerating the call for tastier plant-based choices in a range of popular items — nutritional bars, yogurts, and waters, juices and smoothies, etc. — and Kerry’s revolutionary ingredients are well-positioned to lead the explosion in new and tasty plant-based alternatives.

“With such changes underway, it’s nothing short of an exhilarating time to be in the fast-paced vegan and organic industry. And now, with Kerry’s expansion of protein offerings, the needs of organic, vegan, allergen-free and traditional product manufacturers are being squarely addressed — to the ultimate benefit of consumers,” adds Mindy Leveille, Strategic Marketing Manager, Proteins, Kerry Tate & Nutrition.

The company’s new plant protein offerings are plant-based and allergen-free, with organic options, and are suitable for use in a wide variety of creative food and beverage applications. Containing protein from the desirable plant sources of pea, rice and sunflower, they address the mounting need for organic, vegan and traditional choices while at the same time offering great solubility, dispersibility and neutral taste.

Kerry has also recently released two white papers on plant proteins. One, Unlocking the Power of Protein in Beverages, outlines the major application of protein fortification in functional beverages. The report is available for download at no charge at [link]. Kerry also produced a white paper on plant-based ice cream and frozen desserts: Reinventing Indulgence: Winning with Plant-based Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts, available for download at [link].

“For food and beverage manufacturers seeking to develop plant protein-fortified products, Kerry has the technology — and now a greatly expanded range of plant proteins — to address any product-development challenges our customers may encounter. This recognition by the FAIRR initiative is a great acknowledgement of Kerry’s efforts to date in this important area,” says Mindy Leveille.