The Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) and Plant-Based Foods Institute (PBFI) have unveiled their 2025-2027 Strategic Plan.
The plan will guide the organizations toward achieving their goals of growing plant-based market share and increasing US production and consumption of plant-based foods. It describes a systems-based approach that involves working across sectors and disciplines in partnership and collaboration with a diverse group of food system participants.
“By combining the industry-building work of PBFA with the food system work of PBFI, we are creating a uniquely powerful engine to drive change farther and faster,” said Rachel Dreskin, CEO of PBFA and PBFI.
Six pillars
The pillars of the Strategic Plan include:
- Membership: Uniting manufacturers, processors, co-packers, distributors, and other businesses dedicated to the success of plant-based foods. The aim is to strengthen the industry through pro-competitive dialogue and collective action in order to create efficiencies, foster innovation, and unlock unique opportunities.
- Marketplace: Partnering with retailers, foodservice operators, distributors, brokers, and manufacturers to expand plant-based options. This will help to achieve sustainability goals and grow plant-based sales and market share.
- Policy: Ensuring a fair marketplace for plant-based food by advancing policy and legislation that ensure the support and success of the industry.
- Research and Education: Providing evidence-based insights to inform and accelerate actions in the public and private sectors, supporting the growth of the industry and promoting plant-based foods as a solution to global challenges.
- Consumer and Community Engagement: Building on the strength of emotional and cultural connections to food, inspiring communities and consumers to increase the adoption and exploration of plant-based foods.
- Agriculture: Strengthening and scaling the plant-based food industry through crop diversification, robust agricultural value chains, and profitable markets for farmers, thus accelerating the transition to sustainable farming systems.
“The spirit of service”
Progress has already been made toward the first pillar by revising the membership dues structure for food manufacturers, resulting in significant reductions for most members. This reflects PBFA’s commitment to fostering a more inclusive and robust plant-based foods community, and is one of many initiatives outlined in the Strategic Plan.
In May 2024, PBFA published a white paper which found that 76% of shoppers believe transparency around food ingredients and production methods is important. The same month, PBFA and PBFI submitted recommendations to the USDA to strengthen the agricultural production of specialty crops as key ingredients for plant-based foods.
“We do this work in the spirit of service; service to our members who invest in our ability to protect and foster a favorable business environment, and to the people and ecosystems who are impacted by and essential to our food system,” said Rachel Dreskin. “We also do this work in partnership. We strive to understand where our expertise begins and ends, and to connect with aligned organizations to facilitate broadscale change toward regenerative, plant-based agriculture.”
