Why are the production, processing and consumption of pulses in Europe still failing to gain momentum—despite their clear potential for more sustainable food systems?

VISIONARY partners just published their paper “Weak pulse: a Q-methodology study of stakeholder viewpoints on barriers in European food legume value chains” in Food Policy, exploring these questions. Drawing on Q-methodology, the study captures the perspectives of 91 actors across pulse value chains in Denmark, Germany, Poland and Spain, and reveals five dominant views on the key barriers holding the sector back:

• Insufficient processing capacity for final products
• Pulses perceived as unattractive foods
• Gaps in governance and institutional frameworks
• A meat-dominated food system
• Constraints in domestic raw material production

Read the full article here.

The article is the corresponding output to “Milestone 20 – Uptake of plant-based protein products – drivers and barriers”.