{"id":637,"date":"2025-07-22T16:08:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T14:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nutrimedia.info\/?post_type=news&p=637"},"modified":"2025-07-03T16:09:05","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T14:09:05","slug":"what-if-plant-hybridization-was-the-real-market-disruption","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.nutrimedia.info\/en\/news\/et-si-lhybridation-vegetale-etait-la-veritable-disruption-du-marche\/","title":{"rendered":"What if plant hybridisation was the real market disruption?"},"content":{"rendered":"

And what if the success of alternative proteins came... through a partial return to meat and milk? Against all the odds, hybrid products, combining animal and plant proteins, are doing very well. Pure plant-based products are stagnating, while plant hybrids are making headway - and redefining the rules of the market. Here's why.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The market shifts: when plant hybridisation performs better than pure plants<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Long praised, the 100 % plant offer is going through a period of turbulence. According to FoodNavigator<\/em> (July 2025), sales of all-vegetable brands fell by 8.3 % between 2022 and 2024<\/strong>. At the same time, hybrid products - such as those combining meat and plants or milk and plant alternatives <\/strong>- grew by +6.8 % over the same period<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Albert Heijn, the leading Dutch retailer, has made no mistake: the brand has launched 15 meat-plant hybrid references<\/strong> (sausages, charcuterie) at the same price as their meat counterparts<\/strong>. The result: growing adoption and a direct response to the expectations of flexitarians. LIDL Netherlands recently followed suit with a hybrid minced beef product: 60 % beef and 40 % vegetable protein. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same trend can be seen in the dairy segment. According to AFN<\/em>, the adoption of mixed milk and vegetable products has risen from +4 % in six months<\/strong> in the European Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Category<\/strong><\/td>Evolution 2022-2024<\/strong><\/td>Source<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Brands 100 % plants<\/td>-8.3 %<\/td>FoodNavigator (2025)<\/td><\/tr>
Hybrid meat products<\/td>+6.8 %<\/td>FoodNavigator (2025)<\/td><\/tr>
Hybrid milk products<\/td>+4 % (in 6 months)<\/td>AFN, via FoodNavigator (2025)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Flexitarianism, taste, nutrition: the reasons for an unexpected shift<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The plant-based 100 %, long held up as a model of dietary virtue, is no longer convincing enough. The reason: a taste experience that is still too far removed from traditional standards, and limited acceptability among the general population. In contrast, hybrid products offer a texture, aromatic richness and nutritional value closer to those of conventional products<\/strong>. The result: tangible, measurable and above all perceptible benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flexitarianism is becoming the norm. In the year 2025, 50 % of Spanish households consume \u00abplant milk\u00bb.\u00bb<\/strong>, against 37 % in Germany<\/strong> and 32 % in the United Kingdom<\/strong> (FoodNavigator<\/em>). This silent majority favours modulation over exclusion. This is one of the reasons behind the success of plant hybridisation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cpure plant\u201d myth: a strategic dead end?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The idea that \u201cthe more plant-based, the better\u201d is now being challenged.<\/strong> Not for ethical reasons, but economic and industrial<\/strong>. Hybridization offers productivity gains, greater automation and faster adaptation to formulation constraints. It is also easier to adapt to private label<\/strong> - a key lever for achieving critical volumes at competitive prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n