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More vegan meat is popping up the menus of Chinese restaurants, which are starting to re-open following the coronavirus lockdown, according to reports.
The BBC claims more of the country’s people are ‘looking to lead healthier lifestyles’, following the outbreak, which is widely reported to have originated from one its wet markets towards the end of last year.
And it says ‘Western brands are hoping to tap into a growing demand for meat substitutes in China following a global trend to eat less meat and more plant-based foods’.
Vegan meat in China
Eateries offering vegan options are KFC, which is trialing animal-free nuggets in three of its outlets from next week, and Starbucks, which launched several dishes featuring plant meat earlier this week.
KFC will sell the plant-based meat in three outlets between April 28-30. The stores trialing the new option are Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.
News outlet Reuters says the meat-alternative will be made by American meat giant Cargill.
Beyond Meat in China
The Starbucks dishes mark Beyond Meat’s first foray into the Chinese market, with the company saying it has ‘seen the growing demand for plant-based meat in China’.
The brand is planning to expand its presence in the country by setting up a Chinese-language website and becoming active on the country’s popular social media platforms.
A Beyond Meat spokesman said: “We see Asia as a key region for strategic long-term growth and Beyond Meat’s goal is to have localized production within Asia by the end of 2020.”
