CIA_ProteinFlip_MenusofChange

THE PROTEIN FLIP THE PROTEIN FLIP THE PROTEIN FLIP

THE PROTEIN FLIP THE PROTEIN FLIP THE PROTEIN FLIP

HOW CAN CHEFS INSPIRE STRATEGIES TO FEED A WORLD OF 9-10 BILLION?

CHEFS CAN MAKE A TREMENDOUS IMPACT ON HUMAN AND PLANETARY HEALTH THROUGH THE PROTEIN FLIP.

Instead of feeding plants and grains to animals, feed them directly to diners…with much smaller amounts of accompanying animal protein.

Ask: “What level of global animal agricultural production in 2050 supports optimal public health and is environmentally sustainable?”

And: “How do we enlist chefs, behavioral specialists, and visionaries in design thinking and marketing to create patterns of food choices, dishes, and menus that flip the role of protein and fully meet consumer acceptance?”

It’s also time for chefs to leave behind the habit of using “protein” as a synonym for “meat.” Cultural shifts like these in the chef community can help broaden the general mindset about protein in the U.S.

This strategy document highlights why it is essential to re-imagine the role of protein in foodservice, and how to do so in inventive ways that appeal to diners. This resource is part of a broader educational effort to help chefs and the foodservice industry stay ahead of health and environmental issues and trends that are reshaping our future. Read the Menus of Change Principles of Healthy, Sustainable Menus here.

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MEAT AND THE HEALTHCARE CRISIS

CURRENT SITUATION:

Higher intake of red meat, irrespective of its total fat content, increases risk of…

BETTER SITUATION: NEARLY ONE IN 10 PREMATURE DEATHS COULD BE PREVENTED IN THE U.S. IF AMERICAN ADULTS WERE TO CUT THEIR CURRENT RED MEAT CONSUMPTION TO LESS THAN HALF A SERVING PER DAY.

CURRENT

SITUATION:

In 2010, twice as many tons of antibiotics were used around the globe to raise cows, chickens, and pigs than to treat human infections.

Researchers project a 2/3 increase in antibiotics consumption by humans by 2030 as a result of increased livestock consumption.

…when compared eggs, nuts, or legumes.xiii

Increased antibiotic use in livestock production is partially behind the growth of drugresistant pathogens.

BETTER SITUATION: FEWER DISEASES AND DECREASED NEED FOR ANTIBIOTICS.

PROTEIN PLAYS MANY CRITICAL ROLES IN OUR BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS, OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE, AND SATIETY. BUT HOW MUCH DO WE NEED?

The RECOMMENDED dietary allowance (RDA) of protein for adults is: THE AVERAGE AMERICAN CONSUMES AN ESTIMATED 111 GRAMS PER DAY.

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SOURCES ACCOUNT

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SOME PROTEINS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS FOR THE HEALTH OF THE PLANET AND THE POPULATION

Eating plant-based proteins (assuming whole/minimally processed) is associated with a lower risk of chronic disease and mortality, as well as a smaller carbon footprint, compared with animal proteins (in the aggregate).

KG C02 Equivalents per KG of Food Item

Some research suggests benefits of protein for satiety, weight management, and optimal performance at levels higher than indicated by the RDAs. The protein available in plant foods can satisfy such needs. If complementing a plant-centric diet with foods from animal sources, the best bets are moderate amounts of fish, poultry, yogurt, cheese, and eggs.

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IS RED MEAT OVERREPRESENTED ON YOUR MENU? IT’S TIME TO REBALANCE THE

ARE OTHER DELICIOUS, PLANTFORWARD APPROACHES TO INNOVATION UNDERREPRESENTED ON YOUR MENU?

Leveraging the Protein Flip concept on menus doesn’t mean denying your customers a steak for a special occasion, or going full-on vegetarian (unless you want to). Rather, like all good portfolio management, it’s about proportion and percentages, balance, and diversification.

REBALANCE YOUR PROTEINS

HERE’S ONE APPROACH TO SHIFTING YOUR PROTEIN SOURCES AND ENTRÉE STRATEGIES AS PART OF A NEXTGENERATION MENU MIX. HOW MIGHT YOU CRAFT THIS MIX FOR YOUR OPERATION?

POULTRY, MORE DIVERSE FISH AND SEAFOOD, AND VEGETARIAN/VEGAN ENTREES 40%

MEAT, POULTRY, SEAFOOD IN A SUPPORTING ROLE OR AS A SIDE (2 OUNCES)

MEAT AS A CONDIMENT/SEASONING (VEGETABLES AND PLANT PROTEIN AS THE STARS)

THE BURGER BLEND: BEEF (OR OTHER MEAT, POULTRY OR FISH) WITH MUSHROOMS, OTHER VEGETABLES, GRAINS, AND/OR LEGUMES

MIXED GRILL: SURF AND TURF RE-IMAGINED (WITH SEAFOOD, LOTS OF VEGETABLES, AND ONLY A FEW BITES OF MEAT)

WHOLE-GRAIN, VEGETABLE- AND LEGUME-RICH PASTAS, RICE BOWLS, TACOS, AND OTHER WORLD FLAVORS-INSPIRED PROTEIN FLIPS

TAPAS, MEZZE, AND OTHER PLANT-FORWARD SMALL PLATE REPLACEMENTS FOR ENTRÉES

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WHEN IT COMES TO PLANT AND ANIMAL PROTEINS, IT’S

Address the health and environmental impacts of red meat consumption with the Protein Flip: rebalance the foods on our plates, re-imagine the value proposition of what we menu, and draw inspiration from global cuisines.

AND A TWO-OUNCE STEAK…

…OR SHREDDED CHICKEN-BEEF BLEND TACOS WITH AVOCADO, CREMA, AND PURPLE CABBAGE…

FROM A

T-BONE…

…OR A BROCCOLI STIR-FRY WITH A FEW SMALL PIECES OF BEEF…

OF GROUND BEEF, TOPPED WITH SMOKED CHERRY TOMATOES AND GRILLED ZUCCHINI…

Think about culinary ideas from traditional, plant-forward food cultures in the Mediterranean, Asia, Latin America, and elsewhere around the world.

THE POWER OF THE BLEND

Top 3 reasons for offering meat blends (mixing meat or poultry together with vegetables in burgers, tacos, sausages, and more):

1

2

3

THE BLEND BEYOND BURGERS: The CIA and UC Davis found that substituting 50 or even 80 percent of the beef with ground white mushrooms could enhance the overall flavor of a beef taco blend.

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THE BETTER BURGER THE BETTER BURGER

THE ICONIC AMERICAN BURGER: NEW FRONTIERS IN FLAVOR DISCOVERY

CHEFS AND OPERATORS EVERYWHERE ARE EXPERIMENTING WITH PLANT-FORWARD BURGER INNOVATION. THESE PHOTOS ILLUSTRATE A VARIETY OF FLIP STRATEGIES.

THE BLEND… THE BLEND…

AND

VERSIONS …AND VEGETARIAN VERSIONS

…AND VEGETARIAN

IT’S THE NEW NORM: 77% have a burger on the menu with a significant percentage of the patty from plant or vegetable components, either blended with meat or strictly vegetarian. IT’S THE SAME PRICE: 60% said their non-traditional burger was the same price as other burgers or sandwiches. IT WORKS: 70% saw success from putting a vegetarian or meat-blended burger on their menu

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PLANT-FORWARD MENUS:

IF YOU START WITH A HOME-RUN VEGETABLE-BASED MENU CONCEPT THAT CAN STAND ON ITS OWN, YOU CAN ALWAYS SUPPLEMENT WITH A SMALL PORTION OF ANIMAL PROTEIN (EVEN AS A CONDIMENT) IF DESIRED. HERE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES:

GRILLED AND SMOKED BROCCOLI DOGS WITH BROCCOLI KRAUT AND MUSTARD BARBECUE SAUCE FROM DIRT CANDY IN NEW YORK, NY

CAULIFLOWER STEAK, TAHINI, GOLDEN RAISINS, AND PICKLED THAI CHILI FROM CHALK POINT KITCHEN IN NEW YORK, NY

AND

FROM VEDGE IN PHILADELPHIA, PA

FROM

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CASE STUDIES CASE STUDIES

MUSHROOMS: A CASE STUDY IN INNOVATION FROM THE CIA

The CIA’s Healthy Menus R&D Collaborative (HMC) is a working group of high-volume foodservice culinary and nutrition leaders and suppliers who collectively feed 100 million Americans a day; small changes in their menus have a big impact on public health. In collaboration with its founding corporate member, Mushroom Council, the CIA asked this group to test if burgers might be ripe for “the flip” concept. Could umami-rich mushrooms replace a third or more of the meat and satisfy customers? The answer was a resounding yes, and a new generation of blended meat-mushroom burgers—”The Blend”—is sprouting up on menus coast to coast. The innovation is spreading, with new blend concepts using other vegetables and plant-based ingredients.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY DINING SERVICES: THE BLEND IN ACTION

HARVARD UNIVERSITY DINING SERVICES: THE BLEND IN ACTION

HARVARD UNIVERSITY DINING SERVICES (HUDS) partnered with Mushroom Council to make 10 beef-based dishes healthier for both people and the planet, with no compromise on taste and quality, by replacing some of the meat with mushrooms. Drawing from HUDS’ existing residential dining selections, the recipes included beef chili, shepherd’s pie, beef lasagna, meatloaf, and filling for both tacos and burritos. After experimenting with a number of mushroom varieties and preparations, the chefs settled on recipe reformulations that, on average, reduced saturated fat by 31 percent and calories by 20 percent. What’s more, in a single five-pound meatloaf

recipe, replacing beef with mushrooms reduced CO2-equivalent GHG by 44 pounds. By their estimate, with just a single meal service to 6,600 undergraduates, the impact is equivalent to taking a car off the road for six months. As for the metric that’s most on any chef’s mind—customer satisfaction—the Harvard team reports: “Students love these recipes—so much so, for example, that we’ve made our meat/mushroom blend chili a feature of the daily lunch menu. And one-quarter of our burgers are now blended turkey with brown rice and vegetables, both reducing meat consumption and moving to a healthier protein that's better for the environment.”

REIMAGINING THE SALAD BAR WITH GOOGLE FOOD

A Flip in Operations

In a partnership between the CIA and Google, chefs from CIA, Google, and Bon Appétit Management Company are re-imagining the old paradigm of corporate cafeteria layouts. Much of the produce in corporate lunch settings is aggregated around salad bar concepts. What if we didn’t have to decide between a cold vegetable/salad station and a hot station of animal protein entrees with all their tantalizing smells? What if we introduced “the flip” strategy and brought a grill into the salad station, to add two ounces of just-grilled shrimp or chicken on a salad? What if we introduced a wood-fired bread oven, to have a warm, whole-grain pita with those vegetables? Or how about adding a live-action station of Chinese greens being wok-fried with ginger and garlic, with the addition of just two ounces of pork or lemongrass marinated tofu? Now where do you think our noses would take us at noon?

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WHAT’S

NEXT?

As an industry, what do we need to know that we don’t yet know to be successful in accelerating engagement with the Protein Flip concept?

What should we be seeking to discover? How do we break through silos and create cross-sector, interdisciplinary innovation?

What should we be testing with our next-generation customers that could push us out of our comfort zones, but into business models that are more

What should be guiding new research, new pilot programs, and new and existing collaborations?

Chefs, scientists, business leaders, and researchers need to work together on answering these questions.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

SHARE YOUR IDEAS FOR NEW BUSINESS MODELS ON TWITTER USING #CIAPROTEINFLIP OR ON OUR CIA INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP FACEBOOK PAGE.

Separating myth from fact: To find out why Paleo and other meat-centered diets and many other beliefs about protein are not supported by the consensus around scientific evidence, read the CIA/Harvard Chan School white paper, Protein Plays

Read the paper “Flavor-Enhancing Properties of Mushrooms,” published in the Journal of Food Science. Compass Group USA has committed to reducing red meat on plates across its portfolio. Read more about it here

GET THE REFERENCES: www.menusofchange.org/site-information/citations

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