Beyond burgers: Asia puts twist on alternative meats

From lab-grown "seafood" to dumplings made with tropical fruit instead of beef, rising demand for sustainable meat alternatives in Asia is spawning creative products to appeal to local palates.

Meat and seafood consumption in Asia is projected to soar, fuelled by growing middle classes in booming economies, but green groups warn of the environmental damage such a trend could bring.

Demand for plant-based meat alternatives is still nascent in Asia, but is nevertheless rising by about 30 percent annually and is particularly strong in developed markets such as South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore, industry players say.

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"We do see that there is a growing environmental consciousness among consumers around the world — and that's not different in Asia," said Andre Menezes of Country Foods, which distributes products made by US alternative meat outfit Impossible Foods in Singapore.

US alternative meat titans have already seen the opportunity in Asia, with Impossible Foods seeking to establish a presence in China and rival Beyond Meat, which makes plant-based burgers, planning to open a production facility in the region.

 Karana chef-in-residence Sowmiya Venkatesan making plant-based "meat" and chive dumplings from jackfruit. AFP 

But they face competition from local startups, who are thinking beyond simply making faux burgers, and may be better in tune with what consumers want in a diverse region that is fiercely proud of its culinary traditions.

Fruity, not meaty

Startup Karana is behind the jackfruit dumpings, which it plans to launch this year

Company co-founder Blair Crichton hopes to create familiar products that can win over meat eaters.

"We're not necessarily going to be promoting that its jackfruit... it's about packaging it in a way that is familiar to consumers," he said

Singapore-based startup Sophie's BioNutrients is working with scientists at a local university to grow microalgae in nutrient-rich soybean residue, a waste product from the food processing industry.

Protein powder made from microalgae being poured into a dish. AFP

They plan to convert the algae to protein powder, which will then be used to make imitation seafood products, such as fish balls and crab.

The process does not deplete seafood stocks or cause environmental damage, which traditional fishing can.

The company's founder Eugene Wang said people in many Asian countries saw food as their best tradition — and that simply trying to sell them plant-based patties would not cut it.

 William Chen looking at microalgae samples in a research laboratory in Singapore. 

Several sustainable food startups have chosen to launch in Singapore and use it as a base to sell products across the region, with Temasek providing some financial backing.

Still, such companies may have a hard time convincing consumers with traditional tastes to change to their products.

Seow Chin Juen, an analyst focusing on food and nutrition in the region at consultancy Euromonitor International, said the "novelty aspect" was currently driving most sales of alternative meats.

But this was "not sufficient to convert mass market consumers to consume these products on a regular basis", he added.

Olivia Hayden Ong, a 28-year-old food and lifestyle writer in the city-state, was also sceptical people would rush to switch to jackfruit dumplings and algae fish balls.

"I think it'll be slow (to catch on)... we still like our chicken rice," she said.