S4 Ep39: Plant-Tec Innovation— The Key to Plant-Based Alternatives That Taste Better Than Real Meat with Lalana Thiranusornkij
“Innovation is all about solving pain points— solving problems. When there’s a problem, there’s always innovation.” — Lalana Thiranusornkij
Future Food-Tech Alternative Proteins Series Part II
in partnership with Future Food-Tech Alternative Proteins Summit, NYC June 21 - 22, 2022
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.
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!
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.
In this episode, we are joined by Lalana Thiranusornkij, SVP Head of Innovation and New Product Development at Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) Group. As a leader in the plant-based space and sustainability, the company spent over two years in research and development, and finally they were able to launch MEAT ZERO, Thailand’s best-selling plant-based brand, which has gained favorable responses from the global market. With the help of its Plant-Tec innovation, creating a meat alternative solely from plants but having the flavor and texture of real meat has been made possible.
Listen as Justine and Lalana walk through the process of developing meat alternatives— creating the actual product, determining possible varieties, choosing sustainable packaging, and expanding to the global market.
Connect with Lalana:
Lalana Thiranusornkij is the SVP Head of Innovation and New Product Development at CPF Group. She has a PhD in Technopreneurship and Innovation Management from Chulalongkon University. She is an adaptable and transformational leader who has a strong passion for innovation and creativity. She has a solid track record in successfully establishing cross-functional teams and building a sustainable Research and Development in the company.
Connect with Meat Zero:
Connect with CPF Group:
Episode Highlights:
01:45 What’s Exciting About Innovation?
04:29 Product Development for the Global Market
11:08 What Clean-Label Product Means
16:27 Adapting to Change
19:22 Continuous Improvement is the Way to Go
Tweets:
When people try a plant-based alternative to meat, they usually expect it to taste like the real thing. But what if it actually tastes better? Tune in to learn how @meatzerobrand’s Plant-Tec Innovation has made this possible with @_NextGenChef and Lalana Thiranusornkij, the Head of Innovation and New Product Development at @cpbrandth. #podcast #entrepreneurship #socialgood #inspiration #impactmatters #NextGenChef #EssentialIngredients #futurefoodtech #CPF #MeatZero #PlantTecInnovation #plantprotein #meatalt #proteinalt #plantbased #productdevelopment #cleanlabel #globalmarket
Inspirational Quotes:
01:49 “Innovation is all about solving pain points— solving problems. When there's a problem, there's always innovation.” -Lalana Thiranusornkij
07:39 “Not only do we emphasize on the taste and texture, we also emphasize on the nutritional profile of our products as well because people who want to consume plant-based, expect the products to be healthy.” -Lalana Thiranusornkij
13:00 “You can't have a one size fits all when you're going global because there's so many preferences and so many beliefs.” -Lalana Thiranusornkij
14:38 “As a global company and going to the global market, you can't just generalize. You need to know and study each of the markets carefully in order to be successful.” -Lalana Thiranusornkij
15:03 “Because it's new, there's different tolerance for innovation.” -Justine Reichman
16:18 “People sometimes can't get out of their own way to change the narrative in their head, to be open to new ideas.” -Justine Reichman
18:05 “People are coming up with all these new technologies so that the alternative protein space can grow, become successful, and be here to stay” -Lalana Thiranusornkij
Transcriptions:
Justine Reichman: So welcome to the Essential Ingredients Podcast. This week, we have a special series that we are working on, and it is to introduce some of the great speakers that will be in the Future of Food Conference that is coming up shortly. And this week, we have Lalana Thiranusornkij.
So she is the Head of Innovation and New Product Development at the CFP Group, and we're so pleased to have you here. We're pleased to learn a little bit about you, about why innovation and what you're going to be sharing at the conference that is coming up. What people can expect to see?
So welcome, Lalana, and thank you so much for joining us.
Lalana Thiranusornkij: Okay, so thank you so much, Justine. So I'm very pleased to be here on the podcast and looking forward to talking to you.
Justine Reichman: Wonderful. Just to get started here, I know you are in Innovation. I know you've been at this group for what, a year and a half, an hour or so?
Lalana Thiranusornkij: Yes, that's correct.
Justine Reichman: But you've been in Innovation for a while now, so what about Innovation excites you?
“Innovation is all about solving pain points— solving problems. When there's a problem, there's always innovation.” -Lalana Thiranusornkij
Lalana Thiranusornkij: Yeah. Well, Innovation, it's really exciting for me because Innovation is all about solving pain points. So solving problems. So when there's a problem, there's always innovation. It's always new things to come and solve those problems because humans nowadays are just so smart. When they see a problem, they'll jump into that problem, study that problem. What is the cause? How do we overcome that problem? And then there's innovation, for example, with plant based. What are the problems with the traditional proteins that see environment, that's the health, and that's the animal cruelty and all that. So there's this plant based alternative protein innovation to come in to solve each of those problems. It fascinates me how people are so smart and come up with all these alternatives, probably a solution to solve these problems. Yeah.
Justine Reichman: So I know you're working at CPF, and the meat company that you're working with, you're working on future meats. I know that you must be passionate about that, so where are you drawn to go work at CPF because of Meat Zero?
Lalana Thiranusornkij: Yeah. As you know, CPF, we are one of the largest conglomerates, and we are also involved in supplying the world actually with animal protein. So we are the main source of protein provider. Nowadays, the lifestyle of people has changed, and people want to have other choices of protein apart from animal proteins. And so at CPF, we decided that, why not go into the alternative protein space as well because we are already supplying people with protein. And therefore, the brand Meat Zero came about in order to supply the world with alternative sources of protein. For example, plant proteins, and also other proteins that we are working on as well. And yes, this is great that we have diversified our interests to other sources of protein as well. I'm really pleased to be a part of the Meat Zero team and try to grow the alternative protein space within CPF as well.
Justine Reichman: Yeah, I can imagine. And from just listening to your passion around it, what is your interest specifically? Or how did you help this team grow since you've come on board?
Lalana Thiranusornkij: Okay. So I'm looking after the research and product development for the Meat Zero plant based and alternative protein products. I'm looking after the research team and we research a few plant protein sources and also other alternative proteins as well. And also in product development and developing really exciting products for consumers around the world. First, we did our initial launch in Thailand, because that's our original market. And that went on really well with the products, product quality and product variety that we offered to the consumers. And then we launched in Singapore and Hong Kong, and that was really well received as well. And this year, we will be going global.
So we will be going to other countries, for example, in Asia, Europe and America too. And this is really exciting for me, because each of the markets have different preferences. And so how do we develop products for each of these markets that people would love and also enjoy eating these menus. And of course, we need the in depth knowledge of the preferences around the world, regulatory rickrack requirements, and just knowing the customers in each part of the world. I think this is really exciting to be able to work in this space, and look deeply into consumer preferences and what they want, because it's just all about providing the best for our consumers. If consumers have the Meat Zero product and they think, ah, the taste is not good, the texture is not good, then we won't get repeat purchases. So the aim of this is to offer the best that we can and have our consumers enjoy our products so that they can buy over and over again. So that's exciting to me.
Justine Reichman: And so for those listeners or viewers that are watching that are not familiar with this product, you have a few products actually. Lalana, can you share with me what goes into making your products?
“Not only do we emphasize on the taste and texture, we also emphasize on the nutritional profile of our products as well because people who want to consume plant-based, expect the products to be healthy.” -Lalana Thiranusornkij
Lalana Thiranusornkij: Okay. So we put a lot of thought into making our Meat Zero products because taste is king. So people who want to have these plant based products, they want the products to taste good and also be like real meat. So we put a lot of effort into researching and also developing our products so that our products taste good just like the real meat. And also, the texture and appearance is also like real meat as well. And if you can see our Meat Zero products, the fibers and the textures just really mimic the real meat products. And not only do we emphasize on the taste and texture, we also emphasize on the nutritional profile of our products as well. Because people who want to consume plant based, they expect the products to be healthy. And so we make our products should be as healthy as we can and be more healthy than real meat. For example, we have extra protein, we have fiber, we have, of course, zero cholesterol, we have lower fat, and we also have other minerals that are required as well.
For example with the higher calcium and also with the ion and also the puring as well. So purity is lower, because that's for people who have gout, with the lower purine amount that is better for them. So with the nutritional profile, we really emphasize on that. And also, product variety. So with the product variety, as you asked me before, we have launched our first generation products. But with our second generation products, we will have much more exciting products. For example, like the (inaudible), and also with more of a meat like or fibrous texture type of products. And apart from the great products that are being offered, the packaging. We also pay a lot of importance that packaging must look good, attractive. The packaging material is sustainable, and also is able to provide convenience to the consumers. So we put all our thoughts in every aspect and every step of developing our Meat Zero products. Well, that's just for pure enjoyment for our consumers.
Justine Reichman: I think it sounds very thoughtful. One of the concerns I often have is many are, some of the plant based meats when they first come out had a lot of filler in them. I don't know if you've had a conversation about this.
Lalana Thiranusornkij: Yes, yeah. So with the clean labeling, right? Yes, we try to minimize the ingredients as much as possible and work towards clean labeling. Actually, in our latest development for some customers, we have developed more vegetable type products as well according to their requirements. So they were saying, oh, maybe you can add less of the plant proteins and add the real vegetables. And we thought, okay, that was a good request from our customer too.
Justine Reichman: You mentioned earlier in the conversation that because you're going into so many markets, and you're talking to these different markets, and you're launching in these different markets, you have to adjust in doing things differently. So what kind of different findings are you getting from going into different markets? Are they telling you different things that you're surprised about?
“You can't have a one size fits all when you're going global because there's so many preferences and so many beliefs.” -Lalana Thiranusornkij
Lalana Thiranusornkij: Well, I think the difference is the menu preference. So yeah, menu preference. So some markets say, we want really new exciting things that's not already in the market. But some markets say, we want the traditional products. For example, like the nuggets and the popcorn, things like that. So each market has their different requirements. And also with the taste as well. Some markets wanted more tasty and some markets wanted no more bland. Because they were saying, if it's too tasty, then people may think that it's not good for the health because you're adding so much soul to additives and things like that. It's quite difficult to please everyone. You can't have one size fits all. One product suitable for all types of products when you're going globally, because there's so many preferences and so many beliefs too. Because some markets say, we want it to be more salty because it adds to the taste, and it makes it more tasty. But other people, other markets say, you've got to reduce the salt because it's not supposed to be good for us. We just have to try to be in the middle if we're going to have the same product going global unless we customize or localize that product for that particular country or customer. Yeah, so that really surprised me because I didn't realize that, it was so extreme. One country has so much preference for like strong tastes. And another market, they just wanted it as natural as they could. And also with texture as well. Some markets wanted more of the firm texture. Some markets said, the softer texture is their preference. So it's really learning the markets and just trying to see how we can offer the best for them.
Justine Reichman: Yeah, interesting. It's so important to do that on the journey so that you don't launch in a new market with information from, I don't know, Singapore, that's not relevant because you did it in Bangkok or whatever.
“As a global company and going to the global market, you can't just generalize. You need to know and study each of the markets carefully in order to be successful.” -Lalana Thiranusornkij
Lalana Thiranusornkij: Yeah. So I think going as a global company and going to the global market, you can't just generalize. You really need to know and study each of the markets carefully in order to be successful in that market.
Justine Reichman: I think it's an important lesson for everyone because, and this is also still so new for people. Because it's new, there's a different tolerance for innovation and new things. I mean, even using something as simple as tofo. Just the idea of tofo, right? When I was a little girl a long time ago, I think as the white stuff that you got at the Chinese restaurant, okay, yeah. All right, in the bodega on the corner that was floating in liquid. But there's so many other forms of this. Okay, that was how I knew it back then. And there's lots of other forms of eating this, and using this, and developing this now, all these years later. But for a long time, I wasn't open to even considering it because I was like, I don't like the texture of it. I don't like the way it looks. I don't like this, and I don't like that. Because in my head, I saw it like that white jiggly stuff.
“Because it's new, there's different tolerance for innovation.” -Justine Reichman
Lalana Thiranusornkij: Yeah, I can understand you.
Justine Reichman: I don't want to blurt out my age, but this is way back when? We're talking about way back when, like late 70's, early 80's. You know what I'm saying. We're 2022 now. My point is that people sometimes can't get out of their own way to change the narrative in their head to be open to new ideas.
“People sometimes can't get out of their own way to change the narrative in their head, to be open to new ideas.” -Justine Reichman
Lalana Thiranusornkij: Yeah. Yeah. I think people have to adapt, really. We have to adapt to the new offerings that we are getting to the new lifestyles, and just the new ways of leading life in total, because things change so much. For example, technology. Technology has changed so fast not only in other industries, like telecommunications, or automobiles, or whatever. But in the food industry alone, oh, my God. Yeah, technology has changed so far. In our days, when we were younger, we would ever think of having like cultured meat.
Justine Reichman: Any of those. And to that end, here's a question for you. You're going to the Future Food Conference, what are you excited to learn about or check out while you're there?
Lalana Thiranusornkij: Yeah. I'm just excited to learn about the new technologies that people are coming up with. I think that's fascinating. Because every year, there's new startups all the time and they're just doing amazing things, coming up with solutions. As I said, to the problems. Everyone has the one end goal, but people arriving to that end goal in different ways, in different routes, and with different methods and products, and that really fascinates me how people are coming up with all these new technologies so that the alternative protein space can grow, and also become successful and be here to stay really. At first, when people were talking about alternative proteins, I thought, well, is it a fad? Is it just going to be here for a year or two? But now, I think it's going to be here to stay because the technology that's come up, I think it will be able to scale, it will be able to be at price parity, and it will be able to be accepted by consumers worldwide because of the quality, taste and price parity that they will be able to achieve very soon. I'm very happy to be joining the Future Food, and also to be meeting up with very exciting people within the industry and seeing what new technologies that they will be coming up with.
“People are coming up with all these new technologies so that the alternative protein space can grow, become successful, and be here to stay” -Lalana Thiranusornkij
Justine Reichman: Is CPF working on any other new and exciting innovations?
Lalana Thiranusornkij: Yes. So we are working with plant proteins. Of course, we are still continuously improving all the time, both upstream. For example, working with the protein sources, and also with the end product, products to the consumers. And we are also looking into other sources of protein as well, and we've announced just recently that we've partnered with Future Meat in making hybrid products. So yes, we are ongoing with that development as well, and that's very exciting for us.
Justine Reichman: That's one of the largest distributors, I think you said of meats, right?
Lalana Thiranusornkij: One of the successful cultured meat startups coming from Israel.
Justine Reichman: Yeah. Wow. That's very exciting. Very, very exciting. So you guys are really expanding with the new paradigm with one of the oldest paradigms. You're bringing them together.
Lalana Thiranusornkij: Yes. So yeah, we're very excited to explore new opportunities and new raw materials.
Justine Reichman: That's very exciting. I'm so pleased that you were able to join me here, and we look forward to following up with you after the Future Food Conference, hearing what you learned there and what you were able to make of it, and hear what exciting innovations you maybe are connecting with and collaborating on as a result. So back with us, we'd love to have you on to share that.
Lalana Thiranusornkij: Okay, great. Justine, thank you for having me on this edition of the podcast, and I hope to join you after the event and share what exciting things that I saw at the event and who I connected with.
Justine Reichman: That would be great. We'd love to have you, so please circle back with us. Thanks again, Lalana. And for those of you that are listening to this or watching this, you can learn more and tune in. And if you haven't signed up for a Future Food Conference, make sure too. Otherwise, tune in to Lalana, and you can follow her so you can learn more about her, CPF, Meat Zero and more to come.
