ACI Group and IFF explore how ‘a little less meat’ could deliver a big food-to-go impact

What if millions of sandwiches contained a little less meat? ACI Group and IFF will explore how partial meat substitution could help the UK food-to-go industry tackle rising costs and sustainability pressures when they join forces at the British Sandwich & Food to Go Association’s (BSA) technical meeting on 15 October 2026.

For food-to-go businesses, the opportunity is to reduce meat content, manage ingredient costs and support sustainability goals while retaining the familiar eating experience consumers expect. Achieving that balance requires careful consideration of ingredient functionality, nutritional composition and processing performance.

Dr Briony Sayers of ACI Group and Line Guldbrand, Application Specialist at IFF, will deliver a joint presentation entitled ‘Could partial meat substitution help redefine sustainable food systems?’, examining how advances in ingredient technology are making hybrid meat an increasingly practical proposition for sandwich makers and food-to-go manufacturers. 

The presentation will draw on IFF’s portfolio of functional protein solutions, including SUPRO®, RESPONSE® and TRUPRO®, distributed exclusively in the UK by ACI Group, to demonstrate how different protein technologies can support the development of commercially viable hybrid meat products.

Dr Briony Sayers of ACI Group said: “We have spent years asking how we persuade consumers to replace meat. Perhaps we should be asking what happens if millions of people simply eat a little less of it, through products they already know and enjoy, rather than asking them to completely change their habits.

“For sandwich makers and food-to-go manufacturers, that presents a significant opportunity. A relatively small change to an individual product might seem insignificant, but multiplied across millions of eating occasions, the potential collective impact could be substantial.”

Dr Sayers and Guldbrand will explore how isolated soy proteins, soy protein concentrates, pea proteins and other functional ingredients can be used to achieve specific formulation objectives. From gelling and emulsification to water binding and meat-like bite, the presentation will examine how ingredient selection influences product structure, moisture retention and performance during processing and cooking.

The session will also examine the nutritional opportunities associated with partial meat substitution, including the potential to increase dietary fibre, manage saturated fat levels and maintain protein content and quality, depending on the ingredients selected and the final formulation.

Guldbrand said: “Modern protein solutions give manufacturers greater control over how a formulation binds water, holds its structure and delivers the bite consumers expect. By selecting the right combination of functional and textured proteins, development teams can tailor formulations to specific applications and processing requirements.

“The key is matching ingredient functionality to the product and validating performance under its actual processing conditions. A formulation that works well in one application will not necessarily deliver the same results in another, so understanding how different proteins behave is essential.”

The session forms part of the BSA’s technical meeting for members on 15 October 2026 at Agrial Fresh Produce Ltd. For meeting and membership information, visit sandwich.org.uk.

Developing a hybrid-meat product or reviewing an existing formulation? Speak to ACI Group’s food ingredients team about protein selection, functionality and processing performance. Get in touch at acigroup.biz.