As consumer demand for plant-based and clean label products continues to rise, according to Technomic’s 2021 Center of the Plate: Seafood and Vegetarian Consumer Trend Report, it’s important for operators to adapt their menus with versatile and convenient ingredients that won’t cost them time or labor.
Growing preferences towards plant-based and flexitarian diets, as well as accommodating for sensitivities and intolerances, can be difficult for operators, and many traditional sides aren’t making the cut. In fact, menu penetration for plant-based dishes has grown by 35% over the past year, according to Datassential’s 2022 MenuTrends Report. Today’s operators don’t have the time or labor to spare on making several different options from scratch, so finding versatile products and ingredients that can meet a variety of needs is now more important than ever.
Potatoes provide the perfect solution. They provide endless possibilities to serve delicious sides and creative entrees across all day parts, formats and cuisines. When paired with plant-based proteins, also, potatoes are deliciously adaptable. Serve mashed or hashed as traditional sides, use them to build up delicious bowls or get creative with salads.
Even better, the speed-scratch options available to chefs and operators today provide them with a versatile range of great-tasting potatoes that stand up to the modern flexitarian diets of today’s guests, all while cutting back on time and labor in the kitchen. This speed-scratch convenience empowers chefs to create plant-based dishes with confidence, while saving time and money over fresh, frozen or refrigerated alternatives.
Learn more about plant-based potato sides at HonestEarthFoodservice.com.
This post is sponsored by Idahoan Foods