AAK Kamani, AAK’s majority-owned Indian joint venture, has announced that it has partnered with The Good Food Institute in India to collaborate on research and business promotion aimed at advancing India’s highly promising market for plant-based meat and dairy alternatives.
India holds huge market potential for advancements in alternative protein, having a largely vegetarian population due to the prevalence of its religions practising cruelty-free. India and China make up the two most populous countries in the world and the Chinese market revolution has already begun in earnest; now the same is inevitable in India where the population is already very open to the idea of plantbased alternatives.
AAK is headquartered in Sweden, Kamani is its India branch with over 55 years of experience and is a leading manufacturer of speciality vegetable oils and fats. GFI works with scientists, investors and entrepreneurs to make groundbreaking good food a reality. It focuses on clean meat and plant-based alternatives to animal products.
Through the partnership, AAK’s Customer Innovation Centre in Mumbai will host AAK KAMANI ACADEMY sessions designed to help businesses and entrepreneurs take advantage of the significant opportunities that exist in India’s plant-based foods category.
The collaboration is closely linked to AAK’s global AkoPlanet™ initiative, which provides a platform for plant-based food innovations. With support from the Good Food Institute India, AAK will also provide co-development expertise on how companies can accelerate the formulation of new products, with a particular focus on achieving optimal sensory experience and appealing to local tastes.
Varun Deshpande, Managing Director at the Good Food Institute India, commented: “The challenges of climate change, antimicrobial resistance and food insecurity presented by the world’s reliance on animal protein supply chains have been underscored by the COVID-19 public health crisis. Accelerating the development of the plant-based meat, egg and dairy sector is therefore imperative to building a more secure and resilient protein supply.
Indian businesses and scientists have immense potential to be at the centre of this development, driving affordability and sensory experiences as well as cultural appeal in transformative plant-based foods – but they need support on their journey. We’re delighted to have pioneering corporate partners like AAK Kamani in our mission for smart protein. Their ingredients and co-development expertise will be integral to building a more healthy, sustainable and just global food system.”
