Lab-made meat firms make hay from China's green efforts

Artificial meat may not exactly be the gourmet choice as most people see it as something that goes against the norm of eating meat. And that opposition intensifies if one were told that the meat has been developed in laboratories through cell culture. But all of that may change soon as vegan meat, developed from plant protein, is increasingly finding acceptance with Chinese customers as a viable alternative.

Evidence to this were the crowds thronging a tasting event in Shanghai in May featuring various egg-related dishes like the traditional Chinese tomato and egg stir fry, the Japanese egg cake tamagoyaki to egg sandwiches, all of which were made without cracking a single eggshell. All the products, however, had one thing in common - vegan egg, an egg substitute developed by a Silicon Valley based food-tech company using plant protein extracted from mung beans.

Josh Tetrick, CEO of Just, a US-based firm, said plant-based foods are becoming increasingly popular with Chinese consumers, judging by the excellent response to its vegan eggs.