Pulses in some markets are shifting from being primarily a staple food to “become a versatile ingredient used well beyond alternative meat products”, the report said.
And these changes are happening against a broader backdrop of market volatility and geopolitical challenges.
“Pulses are increasingly featured in innovative food products, especially in Europe and United States, where plant-based protein is being used as a food ingredient more often, for example in snacks and pasta,” the report says.
For some regions though – including in Australia – pulses remain a niche food, the report says.
RaboResearch senior grains and oilseeds analyst Vitor Pistoia said the use of pulses as food ingredients had gained attention in Australia in recent years, “driven by growing interest in healthy eating, ethical and religious factors and innovation within the food industry”.
“However, recent food consumption statistics indicate pulses have yet to have a significant impact on the Australian diet,” he said.
“With pulses accounting for less than one per cent of the country’s daily per capita protein supply between 2018 and 2023.
“This suggests pulses remain a niche food domestically, and their use in mainstream food products is still in its early stages here.”
Pulse production in Australia has seen notable expansion in recent years, Mr Pistoia said, driven by both local and overseas factors.
These have included a push to diversify cropping programs following China’s tariffs on barley and a boost to pulse prices after India’s removal of import duties.
“Locally, improvements in the performance of varieties and in agronomic practices, including enhanced weed control, has further supported growth. While rising input costs, particularly for nitrogen, also encouraged farmers to diversify into pulses,” he said.
He said pulses were “likely to remain a strategic choice for Australian growers due to their favourable margins compared with wheat and barley, and their long-term benefits in crop rotation, such as nitrogen fixation”.
