How plant breeding is making an initial contribution to food development.

A look at today's eating habits shows that many consumers are now switching to a more plant-based diet, including alternative food products to traditional meat, milk and cheese. Around 51% of Europeans who eat meat have reduced their meat consumption, 38% choose a flexible diet or have given up meat completely. These figures and trends show that the market for plant proteins in Europe is growing. But how can the new demand be met?

For a conscious and healthy lifestyle, many consumers are looking for food which is less processed, and which transparently labels the ingredients used. Other criteria include sustainable and local production as well as quality. However, according to the GFI, taste and price are crucial factors when deciding to buy alternative foods for a plant-based diet. Against this backdrop, one of the biggest challenges for food producers is sourcing protein ingredients that ideally combine good taste, a good texture, and good processing properties.

Irrefutably, the long value chain in food production already begins with the seed. As a plant breeder and seed specialist, KWS has recognized that plant breeding, starting with high-quality seeds, can make a pivotal contribution to food development. Through breeding and selection, plants with improved properties for use as food ingredients can be identified. This may for example mean that the texture of meat substitutes comes closer to the known originals, that the beany off-taste of peas is adapted for tasty dairy products, or that unappealing food colors are optimized. KWS sees great potential in expanding the development of suitable protein plants and driving it forward with regard to cultivation, food and processing requirements through breeding.

A valid example of that is the grain pea. It is suitable for the local production of plant proteins and can be used both as feedstuff and for human nutrition. KWS has been breeding grain peas since the 1980s. Today, the company is one of the leading suppliers of yellow grain peas in Europe. Over time, a large genetic pool of varieties with high natural diversity has been created -- also with different traits that are relevant to food.

However, plant breeding and identifying suitable material with improved traits for food takes time -- and the willingness to invest heavily in research and development. This ambition can only come to life by combining the know-how from breeding, nutrition and production, starting with seeds and grains to the final food products. Close cooperation between all the parties involved along the entire value chain is therefore of vital importance for KWS to successfully and vigorously drive forward the development of plant-based protein products. With that in mind, KWS is already working with leading food producers in the industry to understand their specific needs and requirements, and to implement them through breeding. This combines KWS' core competence in plant breeding and the company's expertise in food analysis and protein extraction built up over the last few years with the expert knowledge of the partners in the food industry. Customized ingredients can thus be developed that are tailored to specific product lines and meet the desired requirements of both the food industry and consumers.

Innovative plant breeding plays a key role in tackling current challenges such as climate change, population growth, or the conservation of natural resources, but can also make an initial contribution to food development. Supporting sustainable nutrition and hence the development of varieties whose harvested products can be used directly or in a less processed form in food is part of the KWS Sustainability Ambition 2030, with which the company has set itself measurable goals for more sustainable agriculture.

1 " Evolving Appetites: An In-Depth Look at European Attitudes Towards Plant-Based Eating". ProVeg International, University of Copenhagen,

and Ghent University, 2023. Smart Protein Project.

2 The Good Food Institute. "Consumer Insights." GFI, www.gfi.org/industry/consumer-insights/. Accessed 4 Sept. 2025.