The Rise Of Alternative Proteins As noted above, there is a demand-side driver that is leading consumers to decrease their red meat consumption, but which is equally important to the development of this trend. This driver involves initiatives on the supply side, specifically the emergence of alternative proteins which offer consumers new protein options beyond traditional meat. 2019 has been a key year for the development of plant-based alternatives to meat. Over the last 12 months we have seen plant-based meat alternative products move beyond being solely marketed to the food services sector and into mass grocery retail. While the plant-based alternative protein sector was once dominated by start-ups, such as Beyond Meat (which held an IPO in May 2019), well established food production companies, such as Tyson Foods, have in 2019 launched their own plant-based meat alternatives.