Page 6 - aruba-today-20200912

A6 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 12 September 2020
China becoming battleground for plant-based meat makers

By ZEN SOO the illness might be spread
Associated Press through meat — though
HONG KONG (AP) — Chi- there is no evidence of
na has become a battle- such cases.
ground for plant-based "Although people are now
meat companies looking returning back to the nor-
to tap into the world's larg- mal routine after COVID-19,
est market for meat-con- consumers are concerned
sumption. about the potential link be-
American plant-based tween meat products and
meat company Impossible the virus. Some are reduc-
Foods Inc. said Thursday it ing their meat intake as a
is awaiting regulatory ap- result," Ho said.
proval to enter the China However, since most plant-
market, while rivals such as based meat products often
Beyond Meat have pushed cost more, breaking into
forward with plans to set up the Chinese market could
production in China despite be challenging.
edgy relations between "The China market is chal-
Beijing and Washington. lenging because the food
Those are just two of the culture and consumer pal-
companies with sights set ette are immensely diverse,
on the 1.4 billion Chinese and the market is very price
consumers they hope may In this Jan. 6, 2020, file photo, Dr. Patrick Brown, founder and CEO of Impossible Foods, the sensitive," said Elaine Siu,
join their Western counter- California plant-based meat company, unveils Impossible Pork and Impossible Sausage during a managing director of The
news conference before the CES tech show in Las Vegas.
parts in seeking alternatives Associated Press Good Food Institute Asia-
to meat beyond traditional Pacific. "However, it's im-
mock meat offerings that told reporters. "But as soon with restaurants across the Impossible Foods' products portant not to lose sight of
already span the spectrum as we get to the other end country and even offering include plant-based beef, what are the fundamentals
from faux crab to duck of that, we'll see you the vegan-based seafood. pork and sausage. that make any food prod-
breast and steak. next day." Brown said that the trou- Brown said the company uct a market hit -- univer-
Impossible Foods needs Beyond Meat, which this bled state of relations be- plans to build a factory in sally it's taste, price, and
extra regulatory approvals week announced it is open- tween the U.S. and China China and a domestic sup- convenience."
because its plant-based ing a factory in an industrial was not a "principal ob- ply chain for the ingredients Meat consumption in Chi-
meat products include zone near Shanghai, says stacle" to the company's it needs so that its products na has risen steadily since
genetically modified sub- it does not use any geneti- entry into the market, and will be manufactured en- 1990, more than doubling
stances including heme, cally modified ingredients. that the regulatory process tirely in China. though the pace of in-
a molecule that imparts a Nestle has said it is expand- is about food safety, not Matilda Ho, founder of Bits crease has slowed in the
meaty flavor, as well as soy ing a plant-based products trade. x Bites, China's first food past decade. As a nation,
protein factory in the northeastern The company on Thursday technology venture capital China consumes more
"We're going through a reg- city of Tianjin. announced the launch of group, says the coronavirus meat than any other coun-
ulatory process and it takes Local Chinese companies a sausage product in Hong pandemic is a good op- try, though on a per capi-
its time. It's going well as far such as Zhenmeat and Kong, via menu items in portunity to introduce con- ta basis the Chinese eat
as I can tell," said Impos- Starfield also are expanding coffee chain Starbucks and sumers to plant-based al- about half what Americans
sible Foods CEO Pat Brown their businesses, partnering some other restaurants. ternatives, since some fear do.q

Japan’s Abe seeks preemptive strike capacity in policy shift

fense policy by develop- war constitution limits the cluding Chief Cabinet Sec-
ing a first-strike capability use of force to self defense. retary Yoshihide Suga, who
on enemy bases to defend Abe, a defense hawk, said is seen as Abe's most likely
against imminent attacks Japan is seeking to build up successor, agreed to pur-
amid rising missile and nu- its missile deterrence capa- sue the proposal.
clear threats in the region. bility within constitutional Defense experts in his gov-
Abe, who is stepping down limitations, though he did erning Liberal Democratic
next week for health rea- not say how that can be Party earlier compiled a
sons, said the ability to in- possible. report urging Japan to de-
tercept missiles after they "Can we protect the peo- velop a preemptive strike
are launched may not be ple's lives and their peace- ability because of North
enough and Japan should ful livelihoods just by step- Korea's missile and nuclear
seek greater deterrence. ping up our missile inter- development and China's
He said the new govern- cepting capability?" Abe increasingly assertive ac-
ment will compile a revised said in a statement. Japan tivity in the East and South
Shigeru Ishiba, member of House of Representatives of Liberal defense policy by the end must show its "unshakable China Seas.
Democratic Party (LDP) and one of candidates for LDP leadership of the year. commitment and capabil- Abe's push for the capa-
election speaks during his press conference Friday, Sept. 11, The ability to carry out ity" with an ability to defend bility intensified after De-
2020, in Tokyo. preemptive strikes would its territory and peace as a fense Minister Taro Kono
Associated Press be a significant shift in the sovereign nation, he said. scrapped a plan to deploy
By MARI YAMAGUCHI ter Shinzo Abe said Friday defense policy Japan has Abe made the comments two Aegis Ashore land-
Associated Press that Japan should make followed since the end of after members of the Na- based interceptors due to
TOKYO (AP) — Prime Minis- a major change to its de- World War II. Japan's post- tional Security Council, in- technical reasons. q