Good News: Plant-Based Meat is About to Get Cheaper Thanks to This Company

Plant-based meat is about to be cheaper due to massive new vegan facilities, Plant & Bean, a developer and manufacturer of plant-based food products based out of the United Kingdom, is opening Europe’s largest plant-based meat production facility. This facility will be located in Boston, Lincolnshire on a 65-acre site. The site will have an initial capacity of 55,000 metric tons creating a fully-certified European manufacturing platform to help sub-scale companies, larger international brands, and retailers meet the growing demand for plant-based meat products.

An important aspect of Plant & Bean’s business model is its “ecosystem of collaborative innovation," which brings together research institutions and food-tech companies to improve the quality and lower the cost of plant-based meat products by the use of technological development.

Plant & Bean has partnered with Griffith Foods, a global food production company, Gushen, a manufacturer and ingredient supplier, and research institutes Wageningen University and Singapore Institute of Technology. to develop a computer breeding technology to achieve a 50 percent reduction in the cost of peas and beans. This computational breeding technology will optimize protein extraction at a lower cost and improve texture generation. All of this will allow for focusing on improved extrusion technology to drive higher machine efficiency, lower energy use, and better plant-based meat textures.

“Today’s announcement underscores our commitment to repair what is a broken food system. Right now, 65 percent of consumers do not eat plant-based meats due to price and quality. With our two-pronged approach, we believe we are best placed to make the meaningful change required to tackle these issues," said Edwin Bark, Plant & Beans CEO. "With our progressive global manufacturing strategy, brands will finally have the means to scale high-volume product ranges in order to lower the price-point for consumers. As regards [to] product quality, we are making huge strides in improving the taste, texture, and appearance of plant-based meat—bringing together the brightest minds in the food industry to reinvent the way we make plant-based meat at the ingredient and process level.”

Due to the expansion and growing demand for vegan and plant-based foods, Plant & Bean plans to replicate the new UK site with production facilities in the United States next year and China in 2022. This is leading to a lower cost and greater accessibility to plant-based meat alternatives.