Last Few Days To Win Upto 20 Lakh INR For Developing Meat Alternatives

30 September 2020

In  the grip of the ongoing pandemic, Indians are looking up vegetarianism and newer ways to consume protein from plants. Going by a recent report, 63% of Indians are willing and open to try out plant-based meat alternatives. And data shows that increasing number of Indians were reading up about vegetarianism and veganism online in the past 6 months. There's a gradual shift in global consciousness towards adopting a plant-based diet and ditching meat for meat alternatives. 

Supporting the transition of Indian consumers towards a plant-based lifestyle, the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) has launched a meat alternative food innovation challenge titled 'The Plant Factor'. A total of Rs 20 lakhs is up for grabs for anyone who can develop/has plant-based alternatives for meat products.

To participate, all applicants are required to have/create a market-ready, 100% plant-based functional food product. The product is required to have a stable shelf-life,  taste and texture similar to meat and a nutritional profile similar to meat's. The aim is to have a plant-based meat alternative that is a viable substitute for animal meat. The short-listed participants will receive training, mentoring, financial and networking support from reputed Indian food and business experts. And they will have access to promotions through FIAPO’s flagship programs, which embrace grassroots activism, corporate outreach, and targeted marketing and awareness.

The winning product stands to win 10 lakh INR and, the first and second runners-up can win 7 lakh INR and 3 lakh INR respectively. The award money can be used as seed grant to help scale the production and/or to develop market strategies for the products. 

Speaking about the global trend of people transitioning to plant-based food and plant protein, FIAPO's Executive Director Varda Mehrotra said, "A kilogram of meat is about 30 times more demanding on the environment in terms of water and greenhouse gas emissions, than a kilogram of plant protein. People are recognising the need, ease of accessibility and great taste of plant-based nutrition. So much so, that in some countries even popular non-vegetarian fast-food giants like Nando’s, Burger King, McDonalds, etc. are introducing the ‘Vegan Burger’; such is the demand for plant-based nutrition!”

An animal meat-based diet has higher environmental impact, ethical issues and is much less sustainable than a vegetarian or vegan diet. And emerging anti-microbial resistance (AMR) due to animal-based products also looms as a constant threat. Hence, rapid transition to a plant-based lifestyle with meat alternatives is the need of the hour.

The last date for applications is 2 October 2020 and the challenge's grand finale will be held on 19 February 2021.

For more details about the alt protein food innovation challenge, log on here.

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