The Plant Based Foods Association launched the Certified Plant Based program which specifies the criteria required to make a certified plant-based food claim. Foods eligible for certification include meat alternatives, egg substitutes, milk alternatives and other dairy alternatives such as plant-based cheese, yogurt, butter and ice cream. According to PBFA-commissioned data from Nielsen, plant-based food sales grew by 20 percent from the previous year, outpacing every other food sector by 10 times. With the rise of innovative plant-based foods such as plant-based yogurt, cheese and meats, 39 percent of Americans are trying to eat more plant-based foods, according to a 2017 Nielsen Homescan survey.
Source: globenewswire.com
Lightbulb Moment: This could be valuable to companies but only if it has value to consumers. If it isn’t well defined for consumers then it risks falling flat in its efforts. It may face the same trust issues that currently plague other certification programs. Companies would do well to layer on an educational piece to their marketing to create an alliance between the product, the certification, and the consumer.