Protein transition

The world’s population is growing, and average meat consumption is rising globally, particularly in emerging economies. In the Netherlands, meat consumption is falling slightly. A gradual shift from animal to plant-based proteins is helping to reduce pressure on the environment and the climate.

The production and sale of hybrid meat products and (partly) plant-based convenience products by the Van Loon Group.

By developing innovative hybrid meat products that are tasty, healthy, sustainable and affordable, Van Loon Group is helping consumers make the gradual shift from animal-based to more plant-based proteins. Dutch retailers have committed to the targets set for the protein transition. With our hybrid products, we are helping to achieve this goal.

CEO

In 2025, work continued on the further development of hybrid meat products as part of the protein transition. A key focus was the further development of the plant-based FiberFort™ fibre. This development aims to increase usable dosages without compromising on taste, texture and product quality.

In addition, in high-volume product categories, we converted several ready-to-cook meat and chicken products into hybrid variants. The hybrid range was rolled out further during the year within the foodservice and convenience divisions and made available to B2B customers. This has laid a further foundation for a versatile and scalable hybrid product portfolio.

In total, the Van Loon Group brought 11.3 million kilograms of hybrid end products to market in 2025. This represents 216% of the target set and has resulted in a saving of over 1 million kilograms of animal-based raw materials.
 
Thanks to this enormous success, we have already more than achieved our target for 2027. Next year, we will therefore set new targets for 2027 and beyond.

The continued development of the FiberFort™ fibre remains a key focus, with an emphasis on increasing the usable dosage levels and further improving processability in hybrid products.
 
In addition, we are working with customers and supply chain partners to expand the application of hybrid concepts into product categories other than meat. For example, FiberFort™ fibre is used in meat products and in dough-based products such as sausage rolls and bapao buns.

In addition to scaling up existing hybrid applications based on field bean protein and pea protein, we are exploring the use of alternative (local) protein sources and the upcycling of proteins from existing waste streams for use in hybrid products.

To meet growing demand, the production facility for FiberFort™ fibre is being replaced by a new facility with greater capacity. This will enable us to produce more efficiently and with greater yield.