Mock meat festival steaks claim on being eco-friendly alternative
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For people who want to cut their cholesterol levels, reduce their carbon footprints or who are concerned about the slaughter of animals, but cannot seem to quit meat, a novel Shanghai MeatFest might hold the answer.
China鈥檚 first gourmet fair for 鈥減lant-based meat鈥 is scheduled for Saturday.
Internationally renowned chefs from Shanghai鈥檚 top restaurants will create a feast using 鈥渕ock meat,鈥 a Chinese culinary tradition dating back over a thousand years, said Eve Samyuktha, organizer of the MeatFest and founder of the Vegans of Shanghai charity.
As early as the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), Chinese foodies who pitied animals invented 鈥渕ock meat鈥 with tofu and vegetables, a tradition that has lasted until the present day, Samyuktha said.
The mock meat tradition has grown ever more popular in modern cuisine as plant-based, whole-foods diets and vegan lifestyles become mainstream worldwide.
Plant-based meat is derived completely from protein-rich plants 鈥 beans, legumes, seeds and vegetables, but is textured and flavored to mimic animal meat, said Samyuktha, a chemical engineer by profession.
These products help consumers switch from animal to plant-based protein without compromising on taste.
鈥淲e were inspired by how the Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger brands have changed the way meat is perceived in Western countries,鈥 she said.
As veganism hits the mainstream, brands like Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger have become rising stars of the food industry, backed by investors such as Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio and former McDonald鈥檚 CEO Don Thompson.
In China, several home-grown plant-based meat companies have inherited the nation鈥檚 long tradition and are developing to cater to local and international demand.
鈥淧lant-based 鈥榤eats鈥 in China are already available, easily accessible and widely affordable,鈥 Samyuktha said.
鈥淭hat is the message that we hope to send out at the MeatFest by bringing these local brands into spotlight.鈥
In 1993, Whole Perfect Foods, a Taiwan-backed vegetarian food company brought an advanced production line for soy protein isolates from Germany to the Chinese mainland.
Too good to be fake
It has created more than 500 types of plant-based product, and its menu keeps evolving.
From vegan pork, beef and seafood to a variety of sausages and snacks, protein from different plants is used to satisfy different needs for a meaty taste, according to Xue Hongjun, the company鈥檚 executive director.
The food is often described as too good to be fake.
鈥淲e have spent 30 years doing just one thing, that is what makes us different,鈥 Xue said.
Plant-based alternatives to animal protein are gaining popularity as a way of reducing the negative health and environmental impact of industrial husbandry. Research in recent years has pointed to animal agriculture as among the leading causes of climate change, soil erosion, water pollution, and a decrease in biodiversity.
A 2016 study by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization estimated that farmed animals account for 14.5 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions and at least half of all food-related greenhouse gas emissions.
Studies in 2018 warned that over half the world鈥檚 oceans are being industrially fished, and that commercial fishing covered a bigger area than global agriculture.
The World Wildlife Fund鈥檚 Living Planet Report 2018 warned of a 60 percent decline in biodiversity over the past 40 years.
In other estimates, a fifth of the Amazon has been cut down in the past 50 years mainly to raise cattle or grow soy for animal feed.
Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods received the 2018 Champions of the Earth award 鈥 the UN top accolade for environment 鈥 for their ingenious plant-based alternatives to meat.
For China, respecting nature and cherishing life has long been an important part of traditional ethics, according to Professor Qiu Renzong with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
With ancient traditions and new business opportunities in play, China is set to be the next central stage for a diet revolution, according to experts and entrepreneurs at the Next Gen Good Food Forum.
The forum has been organized by venture capitalists looking to promote plant-based or clean meat solutions in China.
鈥淚n China, the mature generations are familiar with the mock meat tradition, while younger generations follow the rise of veganism as an international novelty,鈥 said Kelly Chen, cofounder and owner of a vegan fitness center in Beijing.
Chen and another 100 vegan businesses hosted a Pop Plant-Based Festival in Beijing last September, attracting more than 10,000 visitors over three days.
The MeatFest in Shanghai does not plan to focus just on vegans and vegetarians but also welcomes meat-eaters to try eco-friendlier versions of the food they enjoy.
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