The Rapid Pulse of Pulses
by Avinash Shrikantia
2016
has been quite the year for pulses in the food and dietary supplement industry.
The UN General Assembly declared 2016 the
International Year of the Pulse and
since then, the industry has gone nuts (1). Companies and startups have
innovated pulses into snacks, chips, cereals, pastas, and many other forms of
common foods (Banza Pasta, Maya Kaimal Chickpea Chips, My
Vega Pea Protein, Brami Snacking Beans, and Tolerant Foods
Legume Pastas). At 2016 IFT, “Made with Pulses”, a new logo developed by
the Global Pulse Confederation, was launched to help food and beverage
manufactures increase consumer awareness and the use of various pulses given the
increase in our diet. Some companies are already on board to use the logo on
their brands, few of which are expected to hit the shelves at the end of 2016 (2).
Pulses are classified under legumes and members
of the Leguminosae family as beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas and are known
to be rich in amino acids along with having a high protein content (3). Certain
pulses when mixed and eaten with grains such as rice are considered a complete
protein. These ingredients have been used for many years through many cultures,
namely it’s heavy use in Indian cuisine for thousands of years as a source of
meatless protein. The term “pulse” includes all legumes (mainly soybeans,
peanuts, and green beans and peas) except those that are used for oil
extraction and green beans for consumption. The Food and Agriculture
Organization division of the United Nations classifies 11 pulses as “primary”
with the most common ones seen on US grocery shelves as kidney beans, pinto
beans, mung beans, dry peas, chickpeas, black-eyed peas, and lentils (4).
Some common pulse products seen on the markets, aside from
the dried beans themselves and dried pea snack are powdered pea-protein to
replace whey and snacking products, mainly in the form of chips. Pea-protein
has gained considerable attention and growth in recent years, and a 2016 market
analysis report by Research and Markets reported that North America is the largest market
accounting for 35% of global consumption, followed by Europe at 33% (5). Fresh
peas and legumes themselves are consumed heavily in Asia, but the supplemental protein
segment of this market is still growing. From a global standpoint, the
forecasted compounded average growth rate is 8.83% from the end of 2016 to 2020
if others markets continue to grow and companies innovate further to meet the
needs of different markets (6). Driving innovation in this category are mainly start-ups
that are focusing on the individual pulse ingredient as the trend for
animal-free products grows into different categories of food. Large companies,
like Morning Star, known for their veggie patties and other “hamburger-like”
food products, are also using a variety of pulses in their formulas and are
even making pulses the main ingredient in some products. According to a survey
by ingredient company, Ingredion, 34% increase of American household purchases
related to pulse ingredients was in conjunction with a 74% increase in new
pulse product launches from 2010 to 2014, and the number of new products keeps
growing (7).
Growth in this category can also be attributed to the increasing
social awareness of healthy living. With an increase in healthy eating trends,
convenience is vital given the perception of difficulty and expense associated
with eating well, the FAO declaring 2016 as the year of pulses to drive
innovation helps increase consumer awareness. Consumers need to be eased into
eating well into order to sustain the habit of eating well. By introducing
pulse products through familiar means, allows for easier consumer acceptance in
the long term. Innovative examples of the brands that have capitalized on this
are: Hippeas and
their organic chickpea puffs, Brami’s lupine bean snacks, Other Bean hummus,
Beanitos’s variety of different bean chips, and Banza, whose line of chickpea
pastas range from penne to spaghetti. There are many more brands that are
making cereals, snack bars, gluten/bread replacement products, and many sports
performance supplement brands developing better vegetarian based protein than
the large amounts of pea protein in the market (7).
As appetites change and food trends come and go one thing
that remains certain for the next few years is the need for convenient and
healthy food. A relativity new need that’s gained a lot of investors and
traction in 2016 was the use of pulses in food products for added nutritional
and health benefits. Another need is using pulses in animal-free products that
try to mimic properties of meat products, like vegetarian burgers, and chicken
alternatives as well as its use in the sports nutrition industry an alternative
to whey protein. As stated by the
UN General Assembly, 2016 is the International
Year of the Pulse and the industry reacted
with a plethora of products. However, since there are a variety of pulses, it’s
safe to assume that many more companies innovating on this front will release
products incorporating them. As we close out this year, the industry looks to
2017 to see how this trend will take shape into the following year and what new
pulse ingredients will be used as innovation in this category grows.
References
6. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160705005529/en/Global-Pea-Protein-Market-Growth-8.83-CAGR
