The soaring popularity of plant-based meat substitutes has shone a spotlight on a new star ingredient: the humble pea.
From Beyond Meat, which has seen its shares rocket after a flotation in May, to US meat producer Tyson and Nestlé of Switzerland, food companies are turning to protein from the yellow pea as the key ingredient for plant-based foods including burgers, bacon, tuna and yoghurt.
The rush to introduce products amid a spike in demand from consumers has led to a scramble to secure supplies. The squeeze has not been caused by the availability of the yellow pea itself — which is plentiful, boosted by Chinese curbs on Canadian imports in the wake of the Huawei row, and a move by India to place tariffs on pulses — but a lack of processing capacity to produce the protein powder extracted from the legume. Producers have simply not kept pace.