On June 18, the Beijing Business Daily reporter learned that the cultured meat brand Zhenrou announced two new products. Unlike the existing cultured meat on the market, these two new products from Zhenrou focus on Chinese cuisine, and it is also seen as the beginning of Zhenrou’s breakthrough from a number of lab-grown meat brands.
Zhenrou’s two new products are cultured crispy meat and synthetic crayfish, which are aimed at hot pot and midnight snack markets respectively. Lu Zhongming, founder of Zhenrou, said that the new plant meat products were designed to better suit the Chinese food market and the taste of domestic consumers, so they were also called “cultured meat for Chinese”.
Lu Zhongming revealed that the plant crispy meat and crayfish launched by Zhenrou were also trying to cooperate with domestic catering companies, but it was not convenient to disclose them at present. It can be guessed that it is difficult for Chinese flavor synthetic meat products to be commercialized successfully.
In addition, Zhenrou also disclosed its supply chain to the public this time. According to reports, Zhenrou introduced Shenzhen Qishan Food Company as a supply chain partner. The company has been engaged in the research and development, producing, and service of cultured meat since 1993. It is a veteran lab-grown meat enterprise in China. The cooperation between the two sides has reduced the logistics and transportation costs of the new products, making the prices that launched this time basically the same as those of real crispy meat and crayfish, getting rid of the embarrassment that cultivated meat is more expensive than real meat.
In recent years, as well-known companies such as KFC and Starbucks have experimented with artificial meat, vegetable meat may be a new business opportunity in China, where already has the habit of eating similar vegetarian products. African swine fever, which has swept through China in recent years, has led to a sharp rise in pork prices and stimulated the determination of some companies to develope artificial meat.
But many people disagree about it. Compared with Europe and the United States, despite low-carbon environmental protection and other demands have a certain basis of public opinion in China, there is a lack of relevant political demands and the driving force behind. If the cultured meat does not fit the characteristics of Chinese cuisine, or if the price exceeds the real meat, it will be very difficult for ordinary Chinese consumers to accept.
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