039: Plant-Tec Innovation— The Key to Plant-Based Alternatives That Taste Better Than Real Meat with Lalana Thiranusornkij

<p><strong>Future Food-Tech Alternative Proteins Series Part II</strong></p> <p><strong><em>in partnership with</em></strong> <a href= "https://www.futurefoodtechprotein.com/"><strong>Future Food-Tech Alternative Proteins Summit, NYC June 21 - 22, 2022</strong><strong> </strong></a></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Episode Description:</strong></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Innovation is all about solving pain points— solving problems. When there's a problem, there's always innovation.”</span></em> <span style= "font-weight: 400;">-Lalana Thiranusornkij</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The rise of the vegan diet has created a new market for companies to cater to. But it's time to put the myths to bed: plant-based meats aren't just for vegans and vegetarians anymore. In fact, we can now find them in stores near us, and they taste as good or even better than any meat out there.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yet, having the reputation of being healthy is not enough to lead consumers to adapt plant-based alternatives into their diet. One thing all consumers have in common is that they want their food to taste delicious! </span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So, what really goes into creating a plant-based alternative? How do they get it to taste so good? And how do they make it so convincing? The answer to these questions is technology. The rise of plant-based meats has been driven by the work of scientists who are making “meat” from plants. Truly, modern technology has given us tons of options when it comes to choosing what we eat.</span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode, we are joined by Lalana Thiranusornkij, SVP Head of Innovation and New Product Development at</span> <a href= "https://www.cpfworldwide.com/en/"><span style= "font-weight: 400;">Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) Group</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. As a leader in the plant-based space and sustainability, the company spent over two years in r