December 15, 2020

Nestle has launched is plant-based meat brand Harvest Gourmet in China, the latest meat substitute brand to enter the China market after US-based Beyond Meat and domestic companies Zhenmeat and Starfield, Reuters reported.

Harvest Gourmet, which is also available in Australia, offers plant-based burgers, sausages, nuggets, and mince. The brand will offer plant-based kung pao chicken, braised meatballs, and pork belly products to the China market as well.

Harvest Gourmet China products will be produced at Nestle's first Asian faux-meat factory in Tianjin.

An online store will be opened in Alibaba Group's Tmall, with its products also offered for sale at Alibaba's Hema supermarket chain by the end of this year.

Rashid Qureshi, chief executive of Nestle Greater China, said China is leading the trend for a new generation of plant-based food in Asia, as Chinese consumers are looking for options that are good for them and the planet.

Qureshi said the growth of the plant-based meat market in China has doubled from 2014 to 2018, which shows ongoing awareness among consumers.

He said consumers are mainly concerned about the product's taste and texture, and prices should be in-line with conventional meat prices.

State broadcaster CCTV conducted a survey last month on fake meat. Nearly half of the 2,659 respondents said they do not want to try fake meat. Only 13.7% of respondents said they had tried alternative meat products and that they tasted good.

- Reuters