Meat is becoming increasingly expensive, and the call for sustainability is becoming stronger. The answer from the meat processing industry: hybrid products. They are cheaper and more sustainable, but are they just as tasty? With Fidesse® from Cosun Beet Company, the answer is: yes!
Meat: a major emitter for retail & foodservice
Meat is one of the products with the highest greenhouse gas emissions in the total operations (scope 1, 2, and 3) for retail & food service. Meat is therefore under scrutiny. Many supermarkets are taking measures to reduce the climate impact of their meat offerings. They turn to their suppliers (scope 3) and ask: what is the CO2 footprint of your product and what are you doing to reduce it?
The answer: hybrid products
The answer that is quickly gaining ground is partially replacing meat with plant-based alternatives. “And that’s not without a reason,” says Leon Luyben, Business Development Manager Innovation at Cosun Beet Company. “With hybrid products, you can make significant strides in sustainability. The ecological footprint of meat is many times larger than that of plant-based alternatives.”
Meat substitute Fidesse
The meat substitute Fidesse from Cosun Beet Company is a good example of plant-based alternatives. In 2024, an ISO-14044 compliant Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) was conducted on this product. It shows that Fidesse has a validated CO₂ footprint of 0.383 kg CO₂ per kg product. For comparison: beef causes approximately 25 kg CO₂ per kg product according to numbers by Milieu Centraal. That amounts to roughly 65 times more than Fidesse.
Fidesse was introduced to the market by Cosun Beet Company in 2022. “We make it from sugar beet pulp, a by-product from sugar production that we upgrade to consumer food. This meat substitute has unique properties that allow it to replace meat 1-to-1,” explains Leon. He is also happy to explain what these properties are.
Unique properties
“While many fibers come in dry powder form, Fidesse is naturally a juicy and fibrous material. Thanks to the intact beet fibers, it adds juiciness and texture to products without imparting unwanted taste, smell, or color. Therefore, it does not need to be masked with additives. Fidesse is also a frozen (IQF) product that fits well with many processing processes in the meat industry. Due to the large availability and local processing of this side product, it is also a price-competitive and sustainable alternative.”
Therefore Fidesse meets many of the food industry’s requirements but contains hardly any protein. Leon: “Now, it is the case that we, especially in the Netherlands, consume too few fibers on average and more proteins than recommended. If it is still important for a producer to maintain the protein content, a plant-based protein can easily be added. Think of Tendra, the field bean protein isolate from Cosun Protein. In combination with Fidesse, the desired protein content can still be achieved, while retaining all the beneficial properties of Fidesse and thus also the authentic taste and appearance of the meat products.”
Hybrid products in the Dutch market
Various hybrid and vegetarian products with Fidesse are already available on the market. For example, the vegetarian Falafel bites from Aviko and the hybrid sausage rolls from Dutch Bakery. Additionally, several supermarkets already sell hybrid products such as minced meat and hamburgers. In these applications part of the meat, for example 10%, is replaced by a plant-based alternative. Other providers such as caterers, gas stations, and airlines have also (partially) switched to hybrid snacks and meals. It shows: the Dutch food market is transitioning to a more plant-based diet.
© Cosun Beet Company
What do consumers think?
Unlike 100% plant-based meat substitutes, the hybrid aspect of meat products is not communicated as prominently. “First, because the term ‘hybrid’ in relation to food may seem unusual to consumers. Additionally, a large group of products has already been hybrid for years,” explains Leon. “There are also ongoing discussions on whether—and how—to communicate about hybrid products. Consumer interest is certainly there. Research conducted by ProVeg in collaboration with Kieskompas shows that 66% of respondents support partially replacing meat, as seen in hybrid products.”
Potential
The potential for hybrid products is enormous. According to the Medium-term report of the European Commission, the total meat consumption in Europe is 30,000,000 tons of meat per year, of which – according to CBS – about 40% are processed meat products such as hamburgers, minced meat, and sausages. In other words: there is sustainability potential in 12,000,000 tons of product. “This share is expected to remain at least intact,” says Leon. “In the Netherlands, you see the hybrid trend developing the fastest, but it will also happen in other countries. Not only due to increasing consumer awareness but also due to higher meat prices. As a result, consumers are increasingly opting for cheaper, processed meat products instead of unprocessed meat. Fidesse makes it possible for such processed meat products to remain tasty and affordable.”
Contact the Fidesse team for more information: [email protected]
