Navigating the shift toward sustainable diets: the use of protein blends in dairy alternatives

Food choice significantly impacts human health, economic development, environmental sustainability, and societal progress. Influencing food choice is key to collectively shaping these outcomes in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Modern diets harm both human and planetary health, as the demand for high-quality dietary protein has led to an over-reliance on animal products. While global dietary guidelines encourage a transition to primarily plant-based diets, widespread adherence remains low. This can be attributed to the limited accessibility of nutritionally balanced, sustainable plant-based food products. Reducing the consumption of animal protein demands the availability of alternative products that offer comparable nutrition, while maintaining affordability, desirability, and quality attributes. Plant-based milk alternatives have emerged to support the shift away from dairy products, offering a more environmentally friendly option. However, their lack of sufficient protein quantity and quality, along with higher costs and reduced sensory appeal, limits their potential as staple components in sustainable diets. Utilizing protein blends from diverse plant sources presents a promising approach to enhancing the nutritional profile and sensory characteristics of dairy alternatives, thereby making them more comparable to their animal counterparts. Ultimately, the optimization of plant-based alternatives is crucial to their role in supporting sustainable and healthy diets.