The campaign to promote veganism by exposing the destructive reality of the animal agriculture industry.
AGRICULTUREANIMALSENVIRONMENTFOODHEALTH

PLANT REVOLUTION: Persuading China to switch to ‘fake’ pork

0

Half of the world's pork is eaten in China. But Covid-19 and a new strain of swine flu with pandemic potential have encouraged a wave of plant-based protein firms.

SARAH TREANOR: Half of the world’s pork is eaten in China, and the acceleration has been rapid. In the 1960s China annually consumed less than 5kg per capita. By the late 1980s this was 20kg and has since tripled to over 60kg, according to UN figures. But the mass-market meat industry has brought with it some very pressing problems, not least, disease. In 2019 African swine fever led to the mass slaughter of pigs in China, and prices rose 25-30%.

And this week, a new strain of flu with “pandemic potential” has also been identified in pigs within China. This has thrown a sharp focus on meat supply chains and production, something the coronavirus pandemic has intensified… Covid-19, environmental issues and growing health concerns in a nation with increasingly high rates of obesity, have all encouraged a new wave of plant protein firms to develop new products…

Hong Kong-based David Yeung is the founder of OmniPork, part of the environmentally focused venture Green Monday. OmniPork is a plant-based meat alternative that is now on the menu in many of Hong Kong’s trendiest restaurants, hotels and bars. A vegetarian of two decades, he’s explaining how substitute meat is not just a market for the North American brands like Impossible Foods, and Beyond Meat, which have become well known for their burgers. He says the Asian market is hungry for home grown meat alternatives…

Beijing-based Zhenmeat is looking at 3D printing elements of its products to mimic bone or muscle… Zhenmeat is throwing its marketing behind one product in particular, created with the Institute of Alternative Protein in Beijing, a meat-free alternative to pork tenderloin, which is popular in hot pot. It is a very specific cut of pork and style of cooking. But Mr Lu says it’s all part of the firm’s strategy. “If you look at the US market, consumers love burgers. So what kind of product do consumers love in the Chinese market? Hot pot is the most loved dish.”

RELATED VIDEO:


RELATED POSTS:

  1. Can meat-loving Chinese consumers be convinced to switch to plant-based substitutes?
  2. THE OTHER MEAT: ‘Pork’ industry joins battle to stop plant-based products from being called ‘meat’
  3. Plant-Based and Clean Meat in the USA, India, and China
  4. This Entrepreneur Is Selling Plant-Based Foods in the World’s Number 1 Meat-Eating Country
  5. Matthew Scully: China’s Wet Markets, America’s Factory Farming
You might also like More from author