00:00 Speaker 1: The advice and informational content does not necessarily represent the views of Mother's Market and Kitchen. Mother's recommends consulting your health professional for your personal medical condition.

00:10 Kimberly King: Hello, I'm Kimberly King, and welcome to the Mother's Market Podcast, a show dedicated to the truth, beauty, and goodness of the human condition. On today's show, plant-based foods are the hottest thing going. And we've got one of the foremost experts when it comes to produce to talk about some of the latest and greatest foods you'll just have to try. But first up, Robert Schueller is the Director of Public Relations for Melissa's Produce. Robert specializes in handling all public relations for food trade and consumer press.

00:41 KK: He's been given the title of produce expert among national consumer and trade publications and radio and television personalities. He is accredited with more than 15,000 articles in consumer and trade press to date. And he also handles all aspects of marketing, as well as including forecasting, researching, creating and designing marketing promotions for the sales team. Schueller has also authored several cookbooks. And if we listed any more of his accomplishments, we'd never get to this week's episode. So we'll just welcome him to the Mother's Market Podcast. Robert, how are you doing?

01:14 Robert Schueller: Great. Thanks for having me, Kim.

01:15 KK: It's a pleasure to have you on the show. And why don't you fill our audience in on a little bit of your passionate mission and work before we get to the show's topic?

01:23 RS: Alright. Well, I come to you from Melissa's Produce. We are the largest variety supplier of produce in the United States. Our products are everywhere in the United States in your local produce department. We've been a partner with Mother's Market for 20-plus years. So if you go into their produce department today, right now, you'll probably see over 30 or 40 different produce items, both conventionally and organically, very seasonally there at Mother's. And we are also found... You can also find Melissa's products in restaurants as well in Southern California and Las Vegas market, at a lot of them. You may also find our products at a sporting event, at the local Dodger game or Lakers or Kings, and whatnot. We're known for bringing our products to the sporting venues as well.

02:16 KK: Eating healthy, that's the name of the game, isn't it? I love it. So today, we are talking about plant-based foods, and you know what? You're going to be bringing up some things that maybe some people don't even realize. So, that's what I am anxious to hear about. Plant-based meals. What are the main produce items that make up this trend, and why is it trending?

02:36 RS: Well, I'm gonna give you a little bit of background about this plant-based or plant-based diet that's going on. And it actually is probably one of the biggest marketing terms used on a lot of food labeling. Earlier in the last year or so, you saw even fast food companies getting into the game with this Impossible Burger, Beyond Burger.

03:01 KK: Oh, they... Everything, yeah.

03:04 RS: You can actually eat a burger that tastes good, it tastes like meat, but made of plants. Made of soy, made of bean, made of mushroom. So we're gonna be talking about some of the produce topics specifically. But the first thing I'd like to start off that really transformed beyond Beyond Burger and the Impossible Burger that you find at a fast food retailer is this jackfruit.

03:33 KK: Yeah. What is jackfruit?

03:34 RS: What is jackfruit? Okay. Well, jackfruit has been around for 30-some years in this country, because Melissa's carried it from the beginning. However, jackfruit was never really popular here in the United States. However, if you were in Asia, Central and South America, where they grow naturally, 'cause they do not grow here in California, they do not grow here in the continental United States. They grow in the Virgin Islands, they grow in Hawaii. First of all, it's a very intimidating fruit. It is the largest of all fruits. These things, if you let them grow on the vine, can weigh over 100 pounds.

04:19 KK: Oh, my goodness.

04:20 RS: And they grow in a tree. Can you imagine...

04:22 KK: No.

04:23 RS: Standing under a tree. If George Washington was standing under a jackfruit tree while chopping it down or a cherry tree, and a jackfruit fell on him, 100 pounds.

04:31 KK: Oh, my gosh.

04:32 RS: It can be deadly.

04:33 KK: How is it hanging on a tree at 100 pounds?

04:35 RS: It has a very strong stem, which is also referred to as a cane. It's like a rope.

04:40 KK: Oh, my gosh.

04:41 RS: And, yes, they do grow above you. So you would definitely know if you're in the jungle of Hawaii or in South America or Central America or also in Asia. This fruit stands out.

04:57 KK: What does it look like?

04:57 RS: It looks like a huge beehive.

05:00 KK: Oh. [chuckle]

05:02 RS: Some people often mistake it for the durian fruit. And the durian fruit is actually somewhat related, but a distant cousin. The durian fruit is that fruit that's very stinky.

05:12 KK: Oh, yeah, yeah.

05:13 RS: It cracks open, very popular in Asia. Cracks open and it will clear out a room. However, the jackfruit is mistaken for it because the durians get pretty big too. But the jackfruits get seriously big.

05:25 KK: Wow.

05:26 RS: Okay. So let me start you on how this plant-based thing really started. It started with the vegans and the vegetarians a long time ago. And tofu, tempeh, a lot of the meat substitutes were in style and still are today. But the thing is, is when you say vegan or vegetarian on a package, it connotates that it's a certain type of lifestyle that not the average American will embrace because most people are omnivores and eat a little bit of everything. But the vegans and vegetarians, about five years ago, made this jackfruit popular, 'cause they realized that in countries where jackfruit is popular like Asia, that it was actually eaten as a meat substitute.

06:19 RS: And the thing is, is that it's very sustainable because you get a lot of meat in a single fruit. Now here in the United States, when you go into your local produce department, you're gonna find the fruit whole, and you're not gonna usually find a fruit that's over 20 or 25 pounds, because the average American family now is no longer eight kids. It's more like one-and-a-half kids is the average American family. So with a household of three-and-a-half, a fruit that's over 25 pounds will never be bought unless it was for some big fiesta or family event and whatnot. But the cool thing is, is that you can now find the jackfruit in a packaged container...

07:03 KK: Really?

07:03 RS: In a single serving size. However, there's actually an art to the jackfruit as well and being able to prepare it. So let me get back to my story here and then I'll go into more about the jackfruit. The jackfruit, first of all, looks intimidating 'cause it's big, and then actually having to break it open. And you can go to many websites, you can Google it, you can go to melissas.com, and they'll show you a video on how to cut it open, because it's a difficult fruit.

07:31 KK: Okay, so I'm thinking about a coconut. Am I off with that?

07:35 RS: Yes, 'cause the coconut is rock hard and people use hammers and stuff to break it open. No, in this case, this is what you need to open up a fresh jackfruit: A good cutting knife and cooking spray.

07:48 KK: Cooking spray?

07:49 RS: Yes. The fruit is extremely sticky and you will get stuck or the fruit will get stuck on to the knife as you cut it.

08:00 KK: Wow. Oh, got it. Okay.

08:00 RS: So get some PAM or cooking spray. It's not gonna affect the taste of the fruit. It's gonna help you cut into the fruit 'cause you cannot eat the skin and you cannot eat the center core, but inside on a 20-pound fruit is about 15 pounds of edible fruit and seeds. The seeds, unlike most fruit, most fruits...

08:21 KK: You can't eat it.

08:21 RS: Seeds are not edible.

08:22 KK: Right.

08:22 RS: In this case, they are. You can eat them like sweet potatoes or chestnuts...

08:26 KK: Oh, my gosh.

08:26 RS: When you cook them. So when you cut it open, it is a yellow... First of all, on the outside, it's yellow-green to brown.

08:33 KK: Okay.

08:33 RS: The more brown and yellow it becomes from green indicates ripeness. But one thing is true and standard about all fruit; fruit communicates when it's ripe by smell. So you will have a sweet aroma to the fruit. So when you're ready to cut it open... And all fruit should be stored at room temperature to ripen properly. You would simply only put it in the refrigerator when you want it chilled before serving or if you wanna delay from opening it up before it goes spoil. That's the only reason why you would put fruit in the refrigerator. Okay, get back to the jackfruit there. When you cut it open, it's yellow inside and it's not like a regular fruit, it's not fleshy like a watermelon, and it's not...

09:22 KK: Or a cantaloupe.

09:23 RS: It's not segments like a citrus. But what happens is the fruit grows around the seed, so what you're gonna get is these pods of fruit inside this huge fruit. And so, what you actually do is you kinda squeeze the pods and the seeds spit out. The seeds, the seeds are pretty big, they're about the size of a quarter. And again, you can put the seeds to the side and you can cook that and actually put protein into your meal. But this is what the vegans and vegetarians started doing with it.

09:56 RS: Of course, you can enjoy it out of hand as a very sweet fruit, but you can actually cook with it. You can cook with it, and make a vegan pulled pork sandwich or make a vegan taco meat. It actually resembles, when you cook it with the right spices or barbecue sauce, it simulates the taste and texture of meat, but it's much sweeter. So this is what had started to happen and people started realizing this big fruit can be used as a meat substitute and it tastes darn good and it fools me for pork, though it's not meat, it is fruit.

10:40 KK: Fruit. So, like a pumpkin and you get the pumpkin seeds, I mean not taste wise...

10:44 RS: Ah, there we go.

10:45 KK: But maybe the way you prepare it. When you pull it, you can either put the seeds aside or cook with it.

10:51 RS: Right, exactly. And you can actually... Talking about pumpkin, you eat the seeds, it's called pepitas. You roast 'em, you can enjoy the seed inside as well. But on the jackfruit, you don't have to peel 'em or anything from the seed, you just cook 'em like potatoes, and voila, you have a protein plant food there as well.

11:09 KK: Wow. I have never heard of that.

11:10 RS: And so, now, a lot of the white table cloth restaurants, because plant-based on the menu is replacing vegan and vegetarian on the menu because it's so marketable, because the person who is following, there's not this misnomer that it's vegan or vegetarian. Because to omnivores and carnivores, when you say the word vegan or vegetarian, you get this cringy face because they think or believe that vegan and vegetarian food is inferior in flavor and taste. And for those vegans and vegetarians out there, 25 million strong vegetarians that is, and part-time vegetarians like myself, I can actually go a day without eating meat, that it can be tasty without using meat, and that's what this whole plant-based diet and plant-based eating is all about.

12:07 KK: Wow, fascinating. Thank you for that back story. Just another quick question, you may have alluded to it, but is the average size of a jackfruit, if you were to go into an organic store like Mother's, about 25 pounds? You said it gets up to 100 pounds, but...

12:20 RS: It gets up to 100 pounds, you're never gonna find that in there, 'cause first of all, you can't put it in your shopping cart.

[laughter]

12:26 KK: Right.

12:27 RS: And second, you're never gonna find it over 25 pounds because it becomes too heavy. You're gonna find it somewhere between 12 and 20-some pounds at your store.

12:35 KK: Okay. Wow, that's crazy. Interesting.

12:38 RS: Yeah. Some of the stores actually have the food safety to be able to cut it up, but that's few and far between. So, look for a packaged jackfruit in a 5-ounce container, which is a single serving size. And, oh, you forgot to ask me, what does jackfruit taste like raw?

12:53 KK: Okay, what does it taste like?

12:55 RS: It tastes exactly like Juicy Fruit gum.

[laughter]

13:00 RS: I think...

13:00 KK: Seriously?

13:00 RS: I don't wanna be sued by Wrigley's. I think that's where they got their flavor for their unique gum, Juicy Fruit.

13:05 KK: Really? Yeah, Juicy Fruit.

13:07 RS: It has so many flavors, tropical flavors going on, but you say the same thing because it's hard to say, "It tastes like this or that," but I always say it tastes like Juicy Fruit gum.

13:17 KK: I think of the zebra with the stripes. [chuckle]

13:20 RS: But when you cut it up and cook it, it retains the texture like pork and the flavors like it. So when you put barbecue sauce, it's almost impossible... Because pork doesn't have a lot of flavor to it.

13:33 KK: Right, until you put the sauce on it.

13:34 RS: Until you put the spices and the sauces and you shred it.

13:38 KK: Right.

13:39 RS: But jackfruit, when you cut it up, is already shredded up.

13:42 KK: Oh, my gosh, I am so interested in it.

13:42 RS: So, it fakes out so many people. It's not like tofu to the average American who cringes when they hear the word tofu.

13:48 KK: Right. [chuckle] I just did, yeah.

13:50 RS: So, anyway.

13:51 KK: No, interesting. Thank you for that. I can't wait to try it. So we're talking about the plant-based foods. Andy, you have cauliflower on here. Let's talk about that.

14:02 RS: Cauliflower has been... Become the new kale. If you remember about five years ago, kale has been put into everything.

14:10 KK: And it's... I'm not a big fan.

14:12 RS: A lot of people love it, and some people hate it.

14:14 KK: There's a distinct taste with kale, isn't it?

14:15 RS: It does have a distinct taste, but if you didn't know, Kim, there's so many different varieties of kale.

14:21 KK: Okay.

14:21 RS: And I'm gonna be... Even though you're probably used to getting the common kale, which is common and it's marketed as curly kale or it's the green kale. And then you have next to them, which maybe you haven't tried, is the colorful kale which they've always used as a garnish. Totally edible.

14:38 KK: Oh, I have.

14:39 RS: However, Kim, since you don't like the bitterness of kale, when you go to your local produce department, look for the... It doesn't look like regular kale, but it's right next to the kale. It's a long, dark, kind of a blackish green color, and it looks like a single leaf. That is the black kale, that is the Tuscan kale, or it's also called the dino kale. It's got the same name for the exact same kale. It's right next to the green curly kale, but you look at the label, it says Tuscan or dino or black. This is a really refined variety.

15:14 RS: This is the kale, when kale is used on the menu, most chefs think that the regular kale is too bitter, they actually use the dino, the Tuscan, the black kale, because it's so smooth in flavor profile. All the different... There's about a dozen different varieties of kale. Some stores only carry maybe two or three different varieties, but if you go to a farmer's market, you're gonna see black kale, and white kale, and purple kale, and all these different varieties 'cause there's so many different varieties, but in your store, you're only gonna see two or three varieties. My pick, as the chefs do order, because we also sell to food service, is the black kale. So, look for that the next time.

15:56 KK: I might, thank you.

15:56 RS: And put it into your smoothie shake because that's what's one of the most popular ways to enjoy vegetables, in a smoothie.

16:04 KK: That's great advice. And say... Now, you were saying that cauliflower is kind of the new kale, so how is that?

16:10 RS: Okay. So cauliflower, as you notice, and it's not something that you find just in the produce department, you'll find cauliflower in multiple colors. Again, this trend with the color on the plate has become big. But you have now seen the cauliflower used as a mashed potato substitute.

16:30 KK: Yes. That's very interesting.

16:31 RS: Stay away from carbs for those who are gluten-free. Kale, excuse me, cauliflower, not kale, cauliflower has been used as a substitute for bread, for pizza crust, it is now used as a substitute for potato in a gnocchi just like the mashed potatoes. You also can go to the restaurants now, and see kale steak. They use the word steak but it has no meat in it. This is a plant-based recipe because they're using it and cooking it like steak. It doesn't taste exactly like steak, very similar because of the juices and the spices that they put on it, without using meat. I think the United States has really become crazy for what they did with kale five years ago, is now what you're seeing with cauliflower because it's used as a substitute for so many things in a plant-based diet.

17:29 KK: And so, just for clarification, because I think you said kale steaks, but did you mean cauliflower?

17:34 RS: Cauliflower steaks. I'm so sorry...

17:34 KK: That's okay. I just wanted to make sure.

17:35 RS: I'm getting them both mixed up there.

17:37 KK: Because it's a substitute.

17:37 RS: Cauliflower is the new kale now here in the United States.

17:41 KK: Interesting. Beans and legumes, and we've talked about this before, but let's go back and see. It's in everything, and if you are plant-based...

17:49 RS: Yes. At your Mother's Market, you can go in there and find these very convenient steamed and ready to go bean line in the produce department. This saves the consumer 30, 40 minutes of time where they're steamed and ready to go in a Cryovac package. This is very different from a canned bean or a dry bean in terms of flavor, texture, and the use of no preservative and added salts as they do in the canned product. You'll find them by the steamed beets, which is a very common product that you'll find in the refrigerated section of your produce department. Mother's Market carries the six-bean medley, which is a mixture of beans like red kidney beans, black-eyed peas, white beans, green beans, and whatnot.

18:37 RS: Then they also have steamed lentils. Again, a steamed product that is already steamed and ready to go, saves you time, you can literally eat it out of the package, and it's a very popular product. Now, this takes it a step further. These are not only used as a plant-based meal instead of using meat or chicken or something in your menu, but it gives you the protein like meats. Well, meats have a little bit more protein, but this, if you're vegan or vegetarian, you get a lot of your protein from using beans in your recipes. And you can actually make chili...

19:20 KK: I was just gonna say.

19:20 RS: Without using meat there.

19:21 KK: Right. Steamed six-bean medley, and then you have the chili on there with the [19:25] ____.

19:25 RS: Yes, you can make chili using the beans, and you don't have to use meat. As carnivores and omnivores out there, they love their meat and chili in the dish chili. But you can use the meat substitute and fool people without even putting meat in there.

19:39 KK: That's great. I love...

19:40 RS: Yeah. You can also do that with the black-eyed peas, which is another steamed item that you'll find in Mother's Market, in the convenience section, the refrigerated section. These have become huge trends in this plant-based phenomenon that is occurring. And in fact, I've been bringing up... I'll bring up, in the next segment, some of the big dietary trends and plant-based, among others. These are some of the other diet trends: Clean eating, intermittent fasting, gluten-free diet, low carb diet, keto diet. A lot of things that you've talked about on the show as well, that this plant-based diet and trend, it's gonna be one of the biggest for this coming year.

20:25 KK: Ooh, I can't wait to hear that. So stay right here. We will be right back. Don't go away.

20:31 KK: At Mother's Market, we only wanna sell the best products available. This is why we carry Organic Smart Chicken. Organic Smart Chicken is free range, GMO-free, and air-chilled. Organic Smart Chicken is the only chicken brand in the United States that is both certified organic and certified humane. And we think it's certifiably delicious. Smart Chicken is the highest grade of fresh poultry. Available at all Mother's Market locations. Learn more and become a Smart Chicken fan on Facebook, www.facebook/smartchicken.

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21:02 KK: Welcome back to the Mother's Market podcast. And we wanna remind you that if you missed any portion of today's show, you can find us on iTunes by searching Mother's Market, or download the show from our website, www.mothersmarket.com. Click the link for podcast and listen to past shows. Plus download our healthy recipes and money savings coupons, all available at www.mothersmarket.com.

[music]

21:23 KK: And now back to our interview with Melissa's Produce Director of Public Relations, Robert Schueller. And we are talking about plant-based foods, it's so interesting. I think, I learned so much, Robert, when you talked about the jackfruit. So we're moving on now. We're talking about dietary trends. And, oh my gosh, I'm looking at this list from clean eating to gluten-free, Mediterranean diets, keto, Paleo, Whole30. Okay. So, where do we stand? I think things are looking a lot like plant-based.

21:51 RS: And this is actually the most known information about plant-based research from FMI, who's The Food Marketing Institute. Some of the major trend companies that are tracking, like Mitel research, and stuff like that, that people are very familiar with, tracking on some of the trends that have happened from 2018-2019. We see that the clean eating trend has been huge, keto and whatnot. The emerging giant towards the end of the list is plant-based and how marketers are now, instead of marketing their packages from vegan to vegetarian, to plant-based because it doesn't have this connotation that for people who are omnivores and see something that's named vegan, that they automatically assume that it's terrible because vegetarianism and veganism is all about just eating tofu and tempeh and stuff and whatnot, which is something that America may not embrace.

23:01 RS: But using these plants as the substitute, mushrooms, beans, jackfruit, cauliflower, lentils, peas, as also a protein source for the plant-based diet. Now let me, Kim, share a little bit of some of the huge trends that have been emerging. One in three consumers now have purchased plant-based meats, 36% of these consumers buy plant-based meat. According to Mitel, 60% of them are millennials and consume plant-based meats. Conducted a bias survey of 210 analytics. Three in five millennials consume plant-based meats on a weekly basis. One in four consumers are now cutting down on meat. So, the lifestyle of eating red meat every day, your doctors are actually telling you to cut back on meat consumption. My theory is eat everything in moderation. You don't have to have meat every day.

24:11 KK: Right.

24:12 RS: There are all these great plant-based ideas that are tasty, that have the taste of meat, but just aren't, are healthy alternatives for the average American. I can go on and on and list all the trends that are there on why plant-based has become big, not only in the packaging, but even looking at fast food companies that are using these plant-based substitutes in the burger or taco now is phenomenal.

24:40 KK: Right. One thing that it's in this study, it talks about plant-based market, it also delivers that experience. What you've talked a little bit about just... As a mom, too, just trying to get kids to eat their veggies, make sure they're colorful, hide them, like with the cauliflower, turning it into potatoes or mashing that. So it's become... The plant-based market has become an experience that maybe that's the new way to market, too.

25:08 RS: Exactly. And let me give you some really... And so, a couple of other concrete statistical information by highly reliable plant-based food organizations that trend this for... From 2018 to 2019, the US retail sales of plant-based foods have grown 11%. That's pretty substantial in regards to a food trend, bringing the total plant-based value market, which I didn't mention already, at 4.5 billion.

25:43 KK: Oh, my God.

25:43 RS: And this plant-based movement has only been happening in the last three or four years. So for it to not even start in the millions, to go already to the billions is pretty substantial.

25:55 KK: And you did mention the millennials, the Gen Zs, coming up as well. And maybe a lot of that has to do with... I'm looking at this as well, with the heart attacks that we're having, you're saying. This is all, as they're watching moms, dads, grandparents. And they're smart enough to say, "We need to switch, flip the switch."

26:11 RS: Well, yeah, because you're specifically talking about the onset of cholesterol at such a young age, the onset of diabetes. And people are being told by their doctors to be put on a meat-restricted diet, and then forced to eat tofu or something like that. And to know that there's all these other meat substitutes that for those... People either love or hate tofu, but...

26:39 KK: Yeah. Can you go back and talk about, what is tofu?

[laughter]

26:42 RS: Tofu. [chuckle] Oh, tofu is that white sponge that you see in the produce department.

26:45 KK: I know what it looks like, but where does it get... What is it?

26:47 RS: It is soy.

26:48 KK: Okay, it is soy.

26:49 RS: It is soy that is dried, re-hydrated, and pressed. So it's a soy-based, is basically, all in all, edamame. Edamame is a huge trend in produce departments across the country. What is edamame? Soy beans.

27:08 KK: Yeah.

27:09 RS: So it's just a processed form to make tofu. Our company does tofu, and tofu is big. But tofu is not for everyone. We supply for those who want it. And a lot of the vegans and vegetarians use it as a protein-based...

27:22 KK: Staple.

27:23 RS: Staple.

27:24 KK: Yeah.

27:24 RS: Yes. But we're looking beyond soy products now on the menu, where we're using mushrooms, where we're using nuts, where we're using avocados as a substitute for many of these dairy and meat products.

27:40 KK: Which I love. I love the way that you guys have packaged... We've talked about the beans and the legumes and everything. Let's dig into mushrooms a little bit.

27:51 RS: Okay. Well, mushrooms, for many people, even people who cook meat, mushrooms have always found their way onto the barbecue on a skewer, for a kebab or whatnot. And it has such high nutrition. I don't wanna really go into... I'm not a nutritionist per se. But the thing is, is that it has a sense called umami. And it's actually an extra sense that has this meat-like texture that can be used. And in fact, the portobello burger is something that you see in restaurants across the country. But in these protein-based, they're using chopped up mushrooms, and these mushrooms that have different flavors like shiitake, beyond portobello, beyond cremini, which is your brown mushroom, and beyond your regular white button mushroom, your white mushrooms that are very common.

28:44 RS: Using some of these other ones to give different recipe profiles and using a mushroom-based. And we're gonna see this a lot more hanging on the menu, using mushrooms like shiitakes and trumpets and porcini. Porcini is gonna be one of the buzzwords. It's always been one of the buzzwords in restaurants across the country, and here in the springtime, morel mushrooms. The flavor profiles for porcini and morel are so rich and delicate that are used on these dishes. You're gonna start seeing some of these flavors being implemented in these mushroom burgers or mushroom-based meats in the coming markets.

29:26 KK: So I'm wondering if you guys will eventually, at Melissa's, make mushroom burgers already pre-packaged, ready to go.

29:33 RS: Only time will tell. Only time will tell.

[chuckle]

29:36 KK: It sounds interesting. And are the mushrooms that you're mentioning, are they California-based, or that we're...

29:42 RS: Yes.

29:42 KK: Okay.

29:43 RS: Oh, yes. Most mushrooms, they do not need to be imported. Mushrooms... Funny you bring up mushrooms. And I was talking about asparagus and how, for white asparagus to become white, it has to lack sunlight.

29:58 KK: Sunlight.

30:00 RS: So it has to be done in a tunnel, so it doesn't get the chlorophyll. Mushrooms are grown in dirt, in warehouse sheds in dirt, and they're stacked up. So it's a very efficient way to grow a, well, what they refer to as a fungus, a mushroom. And so it needs to lack the daylight to grow properly. And that's how mushrooms... If you ever have an opportunity to see a mushroom farm, well, it's kind of stinky. But it's very unique. Most people think that mushrooms are just grown on a field. But they're not. There's a unique way to grow them. But they have so much nutrition, vitamin E, vitamin D, and the simulation of eating meat and the protein that goes along with that as well.

30:47 KK: And that's something I really never realized, that the mushrooms are also protein as well. And you mentioned avocados. Oh, my gosh, people either love them or maybe not so much or they hide it under guacamole or whatever [30:58] ____ avocado...

30:58 RS: Or the very trendy avocado toast.

31:01 KK: Yes.

31:01 RS: As a substitute for dairy products. Again, plant-based, and you no longer have to use butter. People are using avocados to spread on your toast in the morning.

31:12 KK: So good.

31:12 RS: Just a little salt, and you have the perfect avocado toast there, which has been a huge trend in the marketplace, and at restaurants for the last few years.

31:21 KK: Yes.

31:22 RS: What else to do with the avocado? You know what? Making a plant-based ice cream out of avocado. Avocado ice cream.

31:30 KK: Okay.

31:30 RS: Cheeses. We're gonna see a lot of this stuff. Yes.

31:33 KK: What goes into that? I'm just curious, what is it?

31:36 RS: I don't know the whole process and whatnot, but I've seen it out used on the menu and it's a lot of trickery. You can use these plants to trick people to think that they're eating dairy or meat. The food technology has come a long way...

31:52 KK: It's amazing, isn't it?

31:54 RS: In regards to that. It doesn't taste like tofu anymore.

[laughter]

31:57 KK: I know. That's really... That should be the headline right there. But I know, I remember pistachio ice cream, but yeah, avocado ice cream, I'm not sure if I'm there yet. It's almost the same color scheme. Let's say... Yeah, we've been talking about the trend then, so how plant-based is moving up. And these statistics were from 2018 and 2019, so this is gonna be really, really, very interesting. Can you talk about some other exciting Melissa's Produce items that we're gonna find or that people can find at Mother's Market, for instance?

32:26 RS: Yes, definitely. Beyond the whole package of the steamed line and whatnot, there are some other items in particular that we've been seeing. I did mention the cauliflower as a rice substitute as well. I forgot to mention that.

32:42 KK: Oh, yeah.

32:43 RS: That cauliflower is becoming really big as well. But also, talking about soy products as well, and the innovations that have come out of that. Melissa actually produces a... They're soy-based but we're remarketing them actually this year as a plant-based, so people don't think that this is a tofu product. And we've seen this in the stores across the country as well as a plant-based chorizo or a plant-based ground meat, but again, plant-based using natural spices, may use mushroom, may use soy.

33:32 RS: But to get away from the connotation that the plant-based diet person who is not looking to see it marketed under vegan or vegetarian, but that they can find a product that tastes similar and meets the guidelines for what they need to do for their heart health, and what doctors are prescribing for them in a lot of these products there. So, look for, in the Mother's Markets, a lot of our steamed items, including lentils, the black-eyed peas that are steamed, the six-bean medley. And these products are a great way to get the protein in plants, and these are where we're going and where it's coming from. I think we've just seen the beginning of this plant-based movement occur and the sub-category of plant-based proteins as well.

34:33 KK: I'm curious, you were here in Southern California where you're based out of, and plant-based people... My daughter goes to school in Indiana, for instance, and she can be looked at as like, "Oh, you're vegetarian. Of course you are, you're from California." But my question is, Melissa's is throughout all the 50 states.

34:51 RS: Yes.

34:51 KK: So, is there... I would think, here in California, people have bought on to the plant-based trend, but what about the rest of the United States? You're everywhere. So, what does that look like for the percentages?

35:02 RS: Well, the plant-based trend is really focused in all the major metropolitan areas across the country. It has not reached the rural areas and whatnot, or smaller cities and whatnot. So that's where the potential growth is in this trend. We see this trend very resemblant to organic produce trend here in the United States, where 20 years ago it was very insignificant, it was a bunch of hippy-skippy farmers that are growing. But if you look now, some of the largest farmers in America have embraced growing organic to either all of their growing or to a partial part of what they're growing. Because organics, if you look at it 20 years ago, to say that organics only represented about 1% of our growing fields, and today, it's 8%-10%, and you see organics beyond just the produce department. Because the plant-based movement is not just a produce movement, even though the base of the products is anything you find in a produce department that is a fruit or vegetable, but the incorporation throughout the whole grocery department...

36:13 KK: That's a good point, yeah.

36:14 RS: In non-dairy, as we've seen in almond milk and oat milk, cashew milk and whatnot. So you're seeing this plant-based movement occur beyond just the produce departments. In the deli department, obviously, with all these meat substitutes, the freezer department, etcetera, etcetera. It's not stopping.

36:37 KK: Yeah, it's only going up.

36:37 RS: And it's definitely not a fad. Most... A lot of people may say, "Organics as fad." Well, it's been going... Organics has been such trending for the last 20 years. To go this strong for this so long, it is a continual trend.

36:52 KK: And you mentioned earlier about the differences with the fast food industry. But now, they have fast food places that are all either vegetarian, plant-based or organic, and they're starting to pop up, at least here in Southern California.

37:09 RS: No, definitely in the major metropolitan areas here on the West Coast, the Southwest, the Southeast to the East Coast, as we make our way up to the less sunny states, this embracement is occurring as just... This is totally resembling to the organic trend that started 20 years ago.

37:31 KK: Wow. So, again, when you're talking about your organic produce and those that are really geared toward plant-based, is there anything that I haven't asked you about? We've talked about the beans and the legumes, and you spoke about avocados and mushrooms, and not just... It's not just tofu and soy any longer. I think, and tempeh, I guess you can put that in that category. But are there any other plant-based items that have protein in them that we're not talking about?

38:02 RS: Well, the beans and legumes make up the majority of it. Most fruits and vegetables, in general, do not contain protein. I did mention jackfruit earlier. The protein is not in the flesh, but in the seeds, when you extract the fruit, you actually have to cook the seeds. What you can't do in most fruits and vegetables, the fruits that have seeds, most seeds are not edible, but in this case, the jackfruit are, and that's what makes it so sustainable.

38:34 KK: So, we really haven't talked about nuts or seeds like that. So, what can you tell me a little bit about maybe some recipes or something that just, or snack items?

38:42 RS: Definitely. And I'm gonna tell you about some of the trending things that Melissa's is really known for in terms of that. Pepitas, which are pumpkin seeds, have been really trending. This trend came out of Hispanic Latin ingredients. And the way in which they've used it in stuff, in sauces, and in dishes, and whatnot, has really...

39:02 KK: In salads and soups.

39:03 RS: The whole whole Hispanic culture cuisine no longer, I would say, especially here in the West and Southwest, is no longer the minority, but the majority of how cuisine is being dictated and whatnot. So, pepitas. Also, some of the seeds that have really been trending. And we do this in a lot of our snack items like our Clean Snax. We have a product called Clean Snax where it is flax seed and chia seed-based. And a lot of the plant-based recipes, salads that are dairy-free and meat-free, use a lot of the seeds and the nuts as another protein substitute that fill within the range of a plant-based products. Because really, nuts and seeds are derivative from a fruit.

40:00 RS: If you've ever seen a cashew, there's a fruit that produces that is attached to the seed and whatnot. So, they're in the same category of fruits and vegetables. But I know in the grocery store, sometimes you see the nuts, especially during the holiday times, in the produce department, but there's usually a grocery department that just has nuts. So, yes, thank you, Kim. The nuts and seeds have become a big trend in the plant-based movement as well. And those three in particular have been the most trendiest.

40:30 KK: Oh, that's interesting. I know, I always see the flax and the chia together. So this is just fascinating information. And thank you, you're up on all the trends. Thank you so much. We really appreciate your time today. And for more information, the website is melissas.com. And we look forward to our next visit. Thank you, Robert.

40:49 RS: Thank you.

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40:54 KK: If you wanna learn more health information, check out Mother's in-store guest speakers at www.mothersmarket.com. All seminars start at 6:30. And please be sure to go online to our events page and reserve your spot. Thanks for listening to the Mother's Market Podcast, and for shopping at Mother's Market.

41:11 S1: The advice and informational content does not necessarily represent the views of Mother's Market and Kitchen. Mother's recommends consulting your health professional for your personal medical condition.

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