TAIPEI (TVBS News) — From hamburger patties and chicken nuggets to meatballs, the popularity of meat substitutes has grown as more and more people turn to healthier food choices that are also environmentally friendly.
With this observation in mind, a local eatery developed innovative tech to create plant-based products that taste just like real meat for popular dishes, such as Taiwan's beef noodles.
The restaurant's chef, Chen Ching-yen, explained that with high-tech processes, cold pressing, and other skills, they have managed to create "a more realistic texture for plant-based meat."
The popularity of plant-based meat has also increased in other parts of the world, with American business magnate Bill Gates backing startups such as Beyond Meat in 2019, a company that produces synthetic meat products.
As only around 13% of people in Taiwan are vegetarians, local catering businesses hoping to invest in plant-based meat need to bring their products to the next level to create tastier and healthier alternatives.
"We hope to promote the idea that eating an all-vegetarian meal twice a week is good for the body and the environment," a staff member of a Taiwanese vegetarian restaurant, Chang Yi-fang, said. "Hopefully, eating less meat and reducing carbon emissions will be shared with everyone."
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the world will need to produce 60% more food to feed a population of 9.3 billion by 2050.
Even though more and more people are choosing plant-based meat as the more environmentally-friendly option, the prices of meat substitutes remain higher than animal meat.
Studies show that despite a 60% surge in investments in plant-based meat products, plant-based meat sales dropped in 2022, seemingly reaching market saturation.
This means that plant-based meat production businesses would need to find ways to produce tasty products at lower prices to attract more customers in the future.
