STRATEGY ▶▶▶
Egg sector facing onslaught of alternative proteins
More than US$ 3 billion was invested by alternative protein companies last year, putting the egg sector under pressure. Given the enormous marketing and R&D budgets behind these developments, the poultry sector needs to take advantage of the opportunities by increasing demand for protein and the rise of alternatives to animal-source proteins.
BY TONY MCDOUGAL S
peaking to International Egg Commission delegates, Klaus Kraemer, chief executive of leading nutrition think-tank Sight and Life, said the egg industry need- ed to look closely at the nutritional value of alterna-
tive protein products compared to eggs and other livestock- derived foods, and consider their environmental impact. Dr Kraemer noted: “Even though alternative proteins are con- stantly improving, they still do not meet the nutritional needs of a growing global population. That’s why we need to invest in sustainable, animal-source food products, including eggs.” With a total of US$ 6 billion invested in the last decade, Dr Kraemer said it was important that consumers should ques- tion the sustainability of alternative proteins, taking into ac- count nutrition, environmental impact and livelihood. “We have to question whether these alternative proteins are really reducing fat and salt consumption and if they’re contributing to micronutrient and essential fatty acid intakes. The current alternative protein products are not nutrient dense at all. They are rich in salt, saturated fats and contain a range of techno- logically-required additives, meaning they simply cannot be considered as healthy alternatives to eggs,” he told delegates.
Affordable eggs Dr Kraemer addressed the economic challenges faced by many in low-resource settings in accessing animal-source foods. He explained how scalable, sustainable interventions could increase both the availability and affordability of eggs. “The key message is that even in low and middle-income countries, it is possible to set up efficient egg production sys- tems which are good not just for malnourished communities,
but for the environment as well.” He argued that consumption of a wide variety of food types delivered the healthiest re- sults: “I think we should combine, in a much better form, the egg with plant-based foods. There’s a lot of potential that has not been utilised and I think we should also engage with chefs to develop new recipes, combining eggs with other kinds of foods, making diets more nutritious and healthy”.
Egg innovations Other ways IEC members could build sustainable global egg businesses included tapping into egg powder innovations for humanitarian use and promoting egg products through con- text-specific and emotion-based marketing. Last month, UN Nutrition released a discussion paper on livestock-derived foods and sustainable healthy diets which emphasised the crucial role eggs play in a sustainable and balanced human diet. Among its key findings were that eggs provide critical nutrients and protect the heath and well-being of vulnerable populations. Plus that the digestible indispensable amino acid score for protein quality exceeds 100% for eggs, compared to 37% for rice and 45% for wheat. Eggs also have a high concen- tration of choline, a micronutrient vital to cell division, growth and membrane signalling and are an important source of vitamins A, B12, D, E and folate, as well as bio-available miner- als, particularly selenium, not to mention iron and zinc. All valuable properties that can be used in egg promotion.
▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 7, 2021 33
There is a strong capital push of alternative pro- teins but they are generally rich in salt, satu- rated fats and contain a range of technologi- cally-required additives, mean- ing they simply cannot be con- sidered healthy alternatives to eggs and egg products.
PHOTO: ANP/MARCEL BERENDSEN
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