Survey Finds Dutch Caterers Are Partially Replacing Animal Ingredients With Plant-Based Options – vegconomist

A new survey has found that Dutch caterers are increasingly making their ranges more sustainable by replacing some animal ingredients with plant-based or blended variants.

Carried out by ProVeg Netherlands, the research questioned 25 caterers and restaurants, mainly those operating in corporate settings. It found that many now provide products such as sausages and burgers containing a blend of meat and plant protein, or cow’s milk combined with a plant-based milk alternative.

Furthermore, some caterers are replacing products such as cooking cream, mayonnaise, and butter with fully plant-based versions on a large scale, without significant resistance from customers. ProVeg emphasises that these swaps are not a secret — transparency is important, and customers are aware of what is in their food.

“A silent nudge”

The caterers said that taste was the most important factor in the success of the plant-based variants, and familiar flavours must be retained or even improved. They added that sustainability and health aspects should not be overcommunicated, since this may lead customers to believe that the food will taste different and not as good.

In 2023, ten Dutch caterers committed to increasing the proportion of plant-based proteins they sell to 50% by 2025 and 60% by 2030, in collaboration with animal welfare organisation Wakker Dier. A few months later, six more caterers made the same commitment.

“As well as complete replacement with plant-based alternatives, our survey found that so-called ‘blended’ products are also increasingly being used successfully as an intermediate step,” said Martine van Haperen, Nutrition and Health Expert at ProVeg Netherlands. “This happens especially when there is still insufficient support for full replacement, or the taste experience of plant-based alternatives is not yet sufficiently developed. It is a silent nudge towards more plant-based food.”