“If we want to change the world, we must find ways to shift Asian diet and consumption, which means we must find ways to reduce Asia’s dependence on pork and other meat products,” said Yeung, who also runs Green Monday, a startup tackling global food insecurity and climate change.
Omnipork is available at more than 40 stores and will be stocked in major Hong Kong supermarket chains by the end of March, Yeung says.
Advocates say meat substitutes are healthier and also use less water, produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and use less land than producing the same amount of meat.
Consumers, however, must be willing to pay a premium.
Omnipork retails for HK$43 ($5.48) for 8 ounces versus HK$37 for the same amount of minced pork.
Impossible’s burger at HK$88 is more than double the price of a Shake Shack burger in Hong Kong.
Yet the explosion of alternative protein products across Hong Kong has given consumers such as executive recruiter Shazz Sabnani, greater variety. “Before I had to rely more on vegetables and tofu-based products, whereas now I’ve introduced more of these fake meats to my diet.”
Still, not everyone is convinced about the fake meat trend.
Tseung So, a retired 70-year-old said the spaghetti bolognaise made with omnipork at Green Monday’s “Kind Kitchen” in Hong Kong, was not as tasty as real meat. “Why would we eat this when we can eat the same dish but with normal pork? I don’t think this will make meat eaters eat less meat but they will probably become more popular with real vegetarians.”
($1 = 7.8496 Hong Kong dollars)
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