As an aftermath of the African Swine Fever in China, businesses are so close to offering meatless meats to its consumers.
Marketed to be more environmentally friendly and healthier, Green Common launched its store on TMall offering nearly 40 plant-based products in the digital platform. It is looking into bringing together the most innovative second generation of food in an effort to promote a healthier and plant-based lifestyle beneficial for consumers, the society and the planet.
The store had sold nearly 4,000 packages of plant-based-pork thathas less cholesterol, calories and fat than real pork, with added fiber, calcium and iron.
David Yueng and Francis Ngai, founders of Green Monday, founded Green Common in 2015 to work in conjunction with Green Monday.
Furthermore, several shops have begun offering artificial meat for the first time through retailing channels amidst the selling of these products being subject to heated debates.
Besides Green Common, there are also businesses from both home and abroad, including Whole Perfect Food, Zhenmeat, Starfield, Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, developing artificial meat products and trying retailing them.
Chinese Plant Based Food Alliance secretary general Xue Yan cannot agree more that the market for artificial meat is already here. Emphasizing that not only vegetarians are interested in it but also people who care about having a healthier lifestyle.
To discuss further, there are two types of artificial meat in the market. First is the plant-based variety and second is the lab-grown cell based meat cultured from stem cells of living animals. Such varieties contribute in the war against climate change and improvement of animal welfare.
But just like in anything new introduced in the market, the cost is always a concern. According to a BBC estimate, the public will get their first taste of cell-based meat in 2020 but pay a premium of around US$50.
Even plant-based OmniPork is sold at a price similar to real pork, which is at a record high on the Chinese mainland.
Hill Stone capital analyst says it’s too early to say whether artificial meat will eventually become a part of people’s lives due to the fact that the majority of people just tried it out of curiosity, to make sense of the benefits it claims to have.
High cost of research became a main concern for US-based Beyond Meat as it saw investors leave but it saw an increase in its New York listing debut in May.
