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Food proCessiNg

plant-powered Momentum:

how the gulf Cooperation Council (gCC) is driving

the rise of Alternative proteins

Bedanga Bordoloi Etali Sarmah

Over the past decade, the global food landscape has made
a dramatic pivot toward plant-based nutrition—and the GCC
(Gulf Cooperation Council) region is swiftly riding that wave.
Motivations such as wellness, environmental stewardship,
ethical eating, and even social “coolness” are spurring Gulf
consumers to explore meat and dairy alternatives. Many con-
sumers are moving towards a more plant-based diet for eth-
ical, environmental, or health reasons. These consumers are
adopting vegan (no animal products), vegetarian (no meat,
but some dairy and eggs), pescatarian (no meat, but some
fish), or flexitarian (reduced meat) diets. As a result, the food
industry is developing food products to meet the increasing
demand for plant-based foods. 1
Why plant proteins are gaining ground in the Gulf from USD 639 million in 2024 to over USD 2 billion by 2029
2
Protein accounts for 15–20 % of daily calories. But in the GCC, (CAGR >20%). Globally, the alternative protein market is ex-
growing health awareness is steering people away from tradi- pected to reach USD 25.2 billion by 2029, driven by growing
tional animal-based proteins. Studies show that plant-based health awareness and protein demand. 3
diets can help mitigate the risk of obesity, heart disease, and GCC-specific activity: on the rise
diabetes—conditions of rising concern across the region. Fur- The trend is especially pronounced in GCC nations. In the
thermore, producing plant-derived proteins requires signifi- UAE and Saudi Arabia, health-consciousness is being trans-
cantly fewer resources than animal farming—dramatically re- lated into demand. From a relatively modest USD 60 million
ducing the ecological footprint. Demand for such sustainable in plant-based meat sales in 2023, the market is estimated
options aligns neatly with the region’s sustainability goals and to surge to USD 500 million by 2030—an eightfold increase.
burgeoning health consciousness. Today’s flexitarian consumers—those only reducing meat in-
The Middle East plant-protein sector is projected to grow take—are projected to increase from 8 % to as much as 23 %

14 Vol. 41 No. 7