Americans love meat. By year’s end, the average American will have eaten more than 200 pounds of beef, pork, chicken, and turkey combined—a banner year for the animal protein industry.
At the same time, many people are also seeking out alternative protein sources. Whether motivated by concerns for health, animal welfare, or the environment, nearly one-third of Americans practice meat-free days and 35 percent say they’re increasing the amount of non-meat proteins they eat, according to market intelligence agency Mintel. Surveys have found that vegans make up as much as 6 percent of the population, though other studies put that figure much lower.
Of the protein-packed plants taking the country by storm, one unlikely source is experiencing something of a meteoric rise: the pea. Peas have been around forever, but only recently have they found their footing as a go-to protein in many energy bars, milk alternatives, and burgers.
Pea protein is creating something of a feeding frenzy among investors and big food companies hoping to strike it rich off the new designer protein. In 2018 alone, global food giant Cargill poured $25 million into Minnesota-based pea protein manufacturer Puris, while Ripple Foods brought in $65 million in series C funding to expand its line of pea protein-based milks and yogurts. And last year, director James Cameron, seeing the growth in the plant-based foods, invested in Canadian pea processing plant Verdient Foods. While he wouldn’t disclose the amount of his investment, Cameron told CBC News the “ballpark is big.”
Globally, the pea protein market increases each year, with some estimates placing its value at $360 million by 2022.
As with all hot, “new” foods, there’s more than meets the eye. We asked experts to give us the lowdown on pea protein—where does it come from, how is it produced, and is it substantially better than other plant-based proteins?
Taking a Bite out of Soy and Almond
First, we need to address the billion-dollar elephant in the room: soy. Protein derived from soybeans accounts for the largest segment of plant-based proteins by far. It’s currently a $1.7 billion market worldwide, expected to grow by around 10 percent a year for the foreseeable future. Soy has for years been the go-to alternative protein source for consumer packaged goods manufacturers, and for a long time the leading source for dairy-free milk (almond milk has since taken the lead).
But both soy and almonds have struggled with image problems of late. At the peak of California’s punishing five-year drought, almonds became a scapegoat for irrational water use in the state, owing to the widely cited statistic that it takes more than a gallon of water to grow one nut.
Ripple’s pea milk bottles. (Photo courtesy of Ripple Foods)
Soy comes with its own baggage. For one thing, almost all domestically grown soybeans are genetically modified—a potential red flag for many consumers. And since that modification tends to be focused on making the plants tolerant to Roundup and other weed killers, it’s also one of foods most commonly sprayed with pesticides. Soy’s prevalence in the U.S. diet over the last few decades has also earned it a spot among the eight most common food allergens, as identified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Additional questions surround the isoflavones prevalent in soy, which can mimic estrogen in the body, although studies are inconclusive on the damage these do to humans.
But if there’s anything we know about the food industry, it’s that it doesn’t take much bad press—much less scientific proof—to turn consumers away from a product.
Enter pea protein.
It Starts with a Pea
The industry starts with the high-protein yellow or green “field peas” known by most consumers as “split peas.” More than 400 growers in the U.S. and Canada buy yellow field peas from Puris, grow them organically, and sell them back to the company. Split peas are naturally higher in protein (20-25 percent) than sweet green peas (5-6 percent), making them a better raw material from which to isolate the protein.
