If you’d have asked someone what they thought about eating pea protein 10 or 15 years ago, unless they were in the food business themselves, they’d likely have met your question with a baffled face. “Peas are just a vegetable to enjoy on the side of your meal, right?”
Wrong. Most consumers now know that the small but mighty legume is packed with protein and other nutrients. Because of this, pea protein is skyrocketing to the top of the plant-based protein ingredients sector.
Although pea-protein ingredients are experiencing huge success, consumer uncertainty about this innovative food persists.
In its latest New Food Hub article, ProVeg International investigates common consumer misconceptions about pea protein and shares insights on how you can boost your pea-protein product sales by mitigating concerns.
Busting the myth of bloating
One of the consumer misconceptions that ProVeg has looked into, is that the consumption of pea-protein food products will ‘cause bloating’ and an ‘upset stomach’. This perception has arisen because eating a lot of high-fibre plant foods, like legumes, can lead to gas and belly aches in some people.
However, most of the fibre contained in peas is removed to create pea-protein ingredients, which means that digestive issues in those who consume pea-protein products are generally not an issue.
In fact, research shows that pea protein is a highly digestible protein source – proving comparable to whey or casein in digestibility studies[1] (though digestibility changes depending on the production process and nature of the pea protein type).[2]
To eliminate the consumer misconception of poor digestibility, make sure to highlight the excellent digestibility of pea protein on your product packaging and throughout marketing and advertising campaigns.
It also helps to showcase the additional health benefits of pea protein on your brand’s website to alleviate further any outstanding concerns that consumers might have.
Read the full article on ProVeg’s New Food Hub, and get in touch with the team at [email protected] for more help on your plant-based product strategy.
