必爭之地！中國成全球植物肉企業“戰場”

在過去，植物肉的消費者以素食者爲主，但在今天，越來越多人開始接受並喜愛這種美味又健康的肉類替代產品。國外多家植物肉企業紛紛把目光瞄準了中國市場，試圖搶佔先機。

China has become a battleground for plant-based meat companies looking to tap into the world’s largest market for meat-consumption.

中國已成爲植物肉企業的戰場，這些企業希望進入世界上最大的肉類消費市場。

American plant-based meat company Impossible Foods Inc. said Thursday it is awaiting regulatory approval to enter the China market, while rivals such as Beyond Meat have pushed forward with plans to set up production in China.

美國植物肉企業“不可能食品”公司9月10日說，它正等待監管部門批准其進入中國市場，而“超越肉類”公司等競爭對手已在推進在華建立生產基地的計劃。

Those are just two of the companies with sights set on the 1.4 billion Chinese consumers they hope may join their Western counterparts in seeking alternatives to meat beyond traditional mock meat offerings that already span the spectrum from faux crab to duck breast and steak.

這兩家公司瞄準了14億中國消費者，它們希望能與西方同行一道尋找傳統仿肉之外的肉類替代品，傳統仿肉產品已經覆蓋從人造蟹肉、鴨胸肉到牛排的諸多品種。

Impossible Foods needs extra regulatory approvals because its plant-based meat products include genetically modified substances including heme, a molecule that imparts a meaty flavor, as well as soy protein

“不可能食品”公司需要獲得監管部門的特殊許可，因爲其生產的植物肉產品包含血紅素（一種能釋放肉味的分子）和大豆蛋白等轉基因物質。

"We’re going through a regulatory process and it takes its time. It’s going well as far as I can tell,” said Impossible Foods CEO Pat Brown told reporters.

“不可能食品”公司首席執行官帕特·布朗告訴記者說：“我們正在走監管程序，這需要時間。我現在能說的是，進展順利。”

Beyond Meat, which announced last week it is opening a factory in an industrial zone near Shanghai, says it does not use any genetically modified ingredients.

報道稱，“超越肉類”公司上週宣佈將在上海附近的一個工業園區開辦工廠，它表示不使用任何轉基因原料。

Nestle has said it is expanding a plant-based products factory in the northeastern city of Tianjin.

雀巢公司說，它將增加對天津工廠的投資，以建立一條植物肉生產線。

Local Chinese companies such as Zhenmeat and Starfield also are expanding their businesses, partnering with restaurants across the country and even offering vegan-based seafood.

珍肉和星期零等中國本土企業也在擴大業務規模，與全國各地的餐館合作，甚至提供素食海鮮。

Impossible Foods announced last Thursday the launch of a sausage product in Hong Kong, via menu items in coffee chain Starbucks and some other restaurants.

“不可能食品”公司9月10日宣佈，以星巴克咖啡連鎖店和其他一些餐館的菜單商品的形式，在香港推出一款香腸產品。

Impossible Foods' products include plant-based beef, pork and sausage.

“不可能食品”公司的產品包括植物牛肉、豬肉和香腸。

Brown said the company plans to build a factory in China and a domestic supply chain for the ingredients it needs so that its products will be manufactured entirely in China.

布朗說，該公司計劃在中國建廠，並在中國國內建立所需原料的供應鏈，這樣就能完全在中國生產其產品。

However, since most plant-based meat products often cost more, breaking into the Chinese market could be challenging.

然而，由於大多數植物肉產品的價格往往較高，打入中國市場可能是一項挑戰。

"The China market is challenging because the food culture and consumer palette are immensely diverse, and the market is very price sensitive,” said Elaine Siu, managing director of The Good Food Institute Asia-Pacific. "However, it’s important not to lose sight of what are the fundamentals that make any food product a market hit -- universally it’s taste, price, and convenience.”

美食協會亞太區董事總經理蕭凱怡說：“中國市場具有挑戰性，因爲中國的飲食文化和消費者羣體非常多樣，而且市場對價格非常敏感。不過，重要的是不要忽視食品受市場歡迎的基本因素——就是公認的口味、價格和便利性。”

Meat consumption in China has risen steadily since 1990, more than doubling though the pace of increase has slowed in the past decade. As a nation, China consumes more meat than any other country.

自1990年以來，中國的肉類消費量一直在穩步增長，儘管增長速度在過去10年間有所放緩，但消費量已翻了一番有餘。中國全國的肉類消費量超過其他任何國家。