Plant nutrition catches the attention of young consumers

The international scientific conference ‘Health and Nutrition From Plant Based Foods in the 21^st Century' was organized by Vietnam Soya Products Company (Vinasoy) and the National Institute of Nutrition on July 12 in Ho Chi Minh city.

The event brought together leading experts in the field of plant nutrition at home and abroad, to exchange, learn and discover healthy solutions from plant nutrition, thereby improving the health and daily life of Vietnamese people. The conference reports also provided new, in-depth perspectives on the positive and sustainable impact of plant nutrition trends on the protection of the planet's environment.

Information from the conference showed that many subjective and objective impacts are promoting the development of the plant-based food industry. According to the research results from Kantar Singapore, the pandemic has prompted many consumers, especially Vietnamese consumers, to actively include plant-based foods in their daily diets.

83% of Vietnamese consumers are looking for new ways to strengthen their immune system and 82% of Vietnamese consumers are working to improve their own health. In particular, food of plant origin catches the attention of young consumers in urban areas and people with good incomes. In 2022, 2 out of 3 Vietnamese Gen Z or millennial consumers have tried to include vegetable protein in their diet.

The conference is an international-scale activity regularly organized by Vinasoy to update new research results, demonstrating the pioneering spirit and responsibility to raise public awareness about sustainable nutrition based on the new vision and mission of businesses towards the status of “plant nutritionist”.

“The international scientific conference is a strategic activity of Vinasoy to affirm its pioneering position in the plant nutrition industry. Not only realizing the new commitment and mission of plant nutritionists, we also want to fulfill our responsibility to increase the knowledge of healthy, sustainable nutrition for the community,” Dr. Le Hoang Duy, Director of Vinasoy Soya Applied Research Center (VSAC), said. ”Therefore, in addition to the expectation of updating new scientific information to experts, Vinasoy wishes to bring the knowledge of plant nutrition and soy nutrition closer to Vietnamese consumers, so that each family can actively learn and apply the knowledge to their daily nutrition diet”.

Not stopping at scientific information, Vinasoy continues to join hands with global experts to spread knowledge about plant nutrients, soy nutrition towards a healthy lifestyle through the campaign "More plant protein for true health”.

This campaign was launched by Vinasoy with the professional companionship of the National Institute of Nutrition. It calls on Vietnamese to balance their daily nutrition by increasing the amount of plant protein towards the recommended level of the National Institute of Nutrition to improve health and create positive impacts on chronic noncommunicable diseases.

Huynh Son Hai, CEO of Vinasoy, said: “In the near future Vinasoy will continue to provide solutions and knowledge to Vietnamese consumers through the campaign ‘More plant protein for true health’, pioneering responsibility and a commitment to sustainability.

“We are always ready to cooperate with ministries, departments, sectors, organizations and research centers to share knowledge about plant nutrition in general and soy nutrition in particular in order to constantly innovate plant nutrition solutions, bringing healthy life to every home. Through positive national and global scale interactions, we can build a healthy Vietnam in a better and more sustainable environment”.

The lack of knowledge and effective solutions for healthy nutrition is leading to nutritional imbalance, which is also one of the reasons for the increase in the rate of chronic noncommunicable diseases and became a red alert in both Vietnam and the world. According to the statistics of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2022, approximately 81% of the national causes of death come from chronic noncommunicable diseases.

The world is responding strongly to the trend of consuming plant-based foods. Vietnam is gradually catching up to this trend. Accordingly, more and more consumers are recognizing the benefits and positive effects of plant nutrition on nutritional balance in particular and health in general, as well as positive and sustainable impacts on the environment.