[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":58},["ShallowReactive",2],{"navigation":3,"cms-page-/alternative-dairy-state-of-the-industry-part-1":42,"blog-alternative-dairy-state-of-the-industry-part-1":43,"page-/alternative-dairy-state-of-the-industry-part-1":42},{"headerItems":4,"footerItems":22,"ctaButton":38,"footerHeading":40,"footerDescription":41},[5,9,12,15,18],{"label":6,"path":7,"external":8},"About","/about",false,{"label":10,"path":11,"external":8},"Technologies","/our-technology",{"label":13,"path":14,"external":8},"Team","/team",{"label":16,"path":17,"external":8},"Learn","/blog",{"label":19,"path":20,"external":21},"Shop","https://intentionaleveryday.com/",true,[23,26,29,32,35],{"label":24,"url":25,"external":8},"Partner With Us","/partner",{"label":27,"url":28,"external":8},"Investors","mailto:investors@turtletree.com",{"label":30,"url":31,"external":21},"Careers","https://apply.workable.com/turtletree/",{"label":33,"url":34,"external":8},"Press","/blog?section=media",{"label":36,"url":37,"external":8},"Contact us","mailto:hello@turtletree.com",{"text":39,"link":25},"Get a Sample","Join the Revolution","Get exciting updates from TurtleTree",null,{"id":44,"path":45,"title":46,"description":47,"date":48,"category":49,"tags":50,"image":53,"author":54,"published":55,"slug":56,"body":57,"blocks":42,"seo_title":47,"seo_description":47,"og_image":42},65,"/alternative-dairy-state-of-the-industry-part-1","Alternative Dairy: State of the Industry – Part 1","","2023-03-14T07:24:00.000Z","blog",[51,52],"lf","precision-fermentation","/cms-media/alternative-dairy-state-of-the-industry-part-1.webp","TurtleTree",1,"alternative-dairy-state-of-the-industry-part-1","\u003Cp>The up-and-coming alternative dairy industry is chock-full of different technologies, products, and key players, all of which are geared towards the unified goal of providing the world with nutritious and sustainable alternatives to animal-derived dairy products.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>While the current alternative dairy landscape has the right intentions and is gaining traction, it still falls short in delivering equivalent substitutes to dairy products.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>Because of this, we may see that market adoption of plant-based products soon reaches a glass ceiling. To truly create alternative dairy on par with traditional dairy in taste, texture, and nutritional content, technologies like precision fermentation, and eventually cell-based milk, must be implemented.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>In this State of the Industry, we’ll discuss what’s missing from plant-based dairy, how precision fermentation can improve alternative dairy, and how TurtleTree plans to bring functional ingredients to alternative dairy. Consider this your guide to alternative dairy.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>In the last decade, alternative dairy has experienced explosive growth. More and more, consumers are swapping out their dairy milks for plant-based alternatives.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>In the US, dairy milk consumption has been slowly \u003Ca href=\"https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2020/december/plant-based-products-replacing-cow-s-milk-but-the-impact-is-small/\">declining\u003C/a>, while plant-based milk purchases have \u003Ca href=\"https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2020/december/plant-based-products-replacing-cow-s-milk-but-the-impact-is-small/\">increased by 36%\u003C/a>  from 2013-2017. Some of the \u003Ca href=\"https://www.cargill.com/doc/1432126152938/dairy-white-paper-2018.pdf\">top reasons\u003C/a> consumers avoid dairy include: lactose intolerance/dairy sensitivity (63%), animal cruelty issues (20%) and environmental reasons (15%).\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>However, let’s be clear: the dairy industry is still huge and growing. The global dairy market \u003Ca href=\"https://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/winter-2019/articles/milk-s-impact-on-the-environment\">grew 30%\u003C/a> from 2005 to 2015 and is estimated to reach \u003Ca href=\"https://www.precedenceresearch.com/dairy-products-market\">USD $640.8B\u003C/a> by 2030.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>In the U.S., consumption of dairy products like \u003Ca href=\"https://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/winter-2019/articles/milk-s-impact-on-the-environment\">cheese continues to grow\u003C/a>. It’s no wonder why dairy products remain a large portion of our plates. A lot of it has to do with dairy’s unique taste, texture, and nutritional content.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>Not only do vitamins in milk and nutrients in milk make dairy a staple of a well-rounded diet, but its creamy, frothy, stretchy, gooey, texture makes it desirable across a wide array of product applications: from lattes, to pizza, and even paneer. Just think of cheese’s irresistible ooze as it leopards atop your favorite pizza!\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>Plus, dairy milk is a great source of calcium, Vitamin D, and protein. So much so that the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) \u003Ca href=\"https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/\">Dietary Guidelines, 2020-2025\u003C/a> designates dairy as its own food group and assigns minimum amounts of macronutrients and minerals that should be included in one serving of dairy.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>This is important because, as you’ll see, these Dietary Guidelines create a measuring stick against which all plant-based milks are judged and fall short. The repercussions of this nutritional inferiority extend beyond just health and consumer choices, and can actually preclude plant-based milks from inclusion in government programs where they would receive national recognition.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>It’s easy to see how dairy’s nutritional value, unique texture, and taste make it difficult to perfectly recreate, especially when competing at the same subsidized price point.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>However, transitioning from traditional animal-derived to alternative dairy is a crucial component to solving the current climate crisis. The Food and Agriculture Organization (\u003Ca href=\"https://www.fao.org/3/i3437e/i3437e.pdf\">FAO\u003C/a>) estimates that the global dairy industry contributes to 4% of all human-made greenhouse gas emissions, with methane being the primary gas emitted.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>\u003Ca href=\"https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaq0216\">One study\u003C/a> found that if the global population switched to a plant-based diet, greenhouse gas emissions from food production could decrease as much as 70%. So you can imagine how enabling a widespread transition from animal-derived to alternative dairy would pose huge benefits to the environment.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, precision fermentation and eventually cell-based milk can drastically improve the current shortcomings of plant-based products; delivering the “2nd generation” of alternative dairy that truly functions as an equivalent substitute to traditional dairy. Moreover, precision fermentation-derived ingredients like TurtleTree’s recombinant bovine lactoferrin protein, “LF+”, can make the second generation of alternative dairy complete with bioactive that deliver functional benefits to help you feel your best. Reaching this second generation of alternative dairy is key to reducing animal suffering, meeting climate goals,  and maximizing market adoption of alternative dairy products.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>And to be clear, the goal isn’t to entirely replace conventional dairy. Instead, the goal is to relieve the planet of the overwhelming demand for dairy in all sorts of applications like protein powders, premade frosting, or canned soup. This way, dairy farmers can focus on making high-quality dairy products on smaller farms with happier cows that require fewer precious natural resources.\u003C/p>\n\u003Cp>Implementing innovative food production technologies is central to meeting all these goals. So what better way to start than to set the scene with an overview of plant-based, precision fermentation, and cell-based technologies?\u003C/p>",1774541268686]