Investments
that pay dividends
incredible partners lined up. Some
of the first include supermarket
and food delivery service Hema
and e-commerce platform Tmall.
com, both owned by Alibaba; online
marketplace JD.com, specialty
retailer Citysuper and healthy
restaurant chain Hunter Gatherer.”
Why China? The country is home
to roughly 20% of the world’s
population and is uniquely positioned
to benefit from JUST Egg. Plantbased
The future is now
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FT643
foods are increasing
in popularity among Chinese
consumers and more sustainable
eating is becoming part of a national
dialogue about the feeding the
country in the future. China produces
about 435 billion eggs per year and
demand for protein is increasing.
Urbanisation, population growth
and higher incomes are accelerating
that demand, yet available arable
land is diminishing. Plus, the key
ingredient for JUST Egg, which
cooks and tastes like conventional
eggs, is mung bean — a dietary and
agricultural staple in China and other
parts of Asia — and its ingredients
require 70% less surface and
groundwater and have a 40% lower
carbon footprint than chicken egg
production.
People who have tasted JUST
Egg in a variety of popular Chinese
dishes — including business partners,
investors, government officials,
media and influencers we invited to a
special evening of food and music in
Shanghai — are eager to make it part
of their diet, says the company.
Investment
pouring into plantbased
foods
Investment is going into plantbased
foods from large operators
looking to capitalise on the
veganism trend and surging
demand for sustainable foods.
Ecovia Intelligence (www.ecoviaint.
com) believes 2019 will be the year
that plant-based products become
mainstream in the food industry.
In the UK, Pret A Manger is
planning to buy its rival Eat and
convert the chain’s 94 sandwich
stores into vegetarian outlets.
Pret A Manger already operates 4
Veggie Pret outlets in its portfolio of
400 stores. It plans to expand the
operation because of high demand
for plant-based meals.
Fast-food operators are also
investing in meatless products.
McDonald’s recently launched the
Big Vegan TS, a vegan burger, in
the German market. The fastfood
chain has already been
selling its McVegan burger in
Nordic countries. Burger King has
launched a meatless Whopper in
the US market. Chick-fil-A, another
fast-food operator, is also exploring
vegan options, whilst Taco Bell has
introduced vegan tacos at selected
London outlets this month.
Nestlé, the world’s largest food
company, has recently launched
its Garden Gourmet Incredible
Burger in Europe. Made from soya
and protein, it uses vegetable
extracts to give the burger a meaty
texture. It is planning to launch
the meatless burger under the
Sweet Earth brand in the US later
this year. America’s largest meat
company Tyson Foods is also
preparing to launch its first meatfree
product.
Plant-based food companies, such
as Beyond Meat and Impossible
Foods, are also receiving investment
to help them scale production and
keep up with demand. Beyond Meat
floated its shares on the Nasdaq
stock exchange recently, while
Impossible Foods has just raised
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