Plant-based meat gains popularity among Gen Z in China
The awareness of Gen Z about plant-based meat, which represents a more sustainable model of nutrition and living, is expanding in China, with health, animal welfare, and environmental preservation being the driving forces, a report released on Thursday said.
The survey found that 19.3 percent of Gen Z respondents in China were flexitarians in terms of diet.
ProVeg International, an international food awareness organization, based the research on a recent poll of 1,024 people aged 19 to 28 with college or higher education in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
In total, 65.3 percent of interviewees were aware of plant-based meat, and 43.2 percent had tried it in the past 12 months.
More than 30 percent said they would definitely or probably buy plant-based meat, with women and those with a high education level being more likely to do so.
Their primary concerns were flavor, safety, and nutritional value.
However, only 17.6 percent of Gen Z in China were aware of cultivated meat, and the buying intent was also low.
According to the report, more than 12 percent of respondents cited animal-friendly as the primary reason for their purchase of plant-based and cultured meat, with the rapid expansion of the post-1995 pet-raising generation presumably playing a role.
The China Animal Agriculture Association claimed that the post-1995 generation accounted for 36.8 percent of pet owners in China last year.
"The meat industry in China will be transformed by health-conscious Gen Z, who are also increasingly animal-loving and environmentally conscious," said Shirley Lu, managing director of ProVeg Asia.
According to Cristina Tirado, president and director of Climate Initiatives of the SHE Foundation and Lead Author of the IPCC AR6 WGII Health Chapter, the food system has an impact on climate change and is responsible for at least 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.
"This opens up enormous opportunities for food adaptation and mitigation by promoting both the demand and supply sides."
