US start-up Eat Just Inc yesterday said that Dicos (德克士), one of China’s largest fast food chains, has added plant-based egg products supplied by the San Francisco-based firm to menus at more than 500 outlets across China.
Dicos would replace its conventional egg patty in items such as breakfast burgers and bagels with the US firm’s “Just Egg” — made from mung beans — at restaurants in cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, Eat Just cofounder and chief executive officer Josh Tetrick said by telephone.
Although still a tiny business compared with China’s giant animal-based supply chain, vegetarian alternatives to meat, dairy and seafood are rapidly gaining in popularity.
Photo: Aly Song, Reuters
Euromonitor International, a market research provider, predicted that China’s meat-substitutes market would be worth US$12.3 billion by 2025, up from US$10.8 billion last year.
Tetrick did not disclose financial terms of Eat Just’s deal with Dicos, but he said that the COVID-19 pandemic had renewed concerns about domestic food safety in China.
“There is more awareness in China on safety, on clean protein and protein free of antibiotics,” Tetrick said, adding that his firm was in talks with other Chinese restaurant chains to supply Just Egg.
Dicos confirmed its cooperation with Eat Just on microblogging site Sina Weibo, saying that it was “an innovative new food that helped to support sustainable development for humanity in future.”
Last year, brands such as Starbucks Corp, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Beyond Meat Inc and Oatly rolled out plant-based food and beverage offerings in China, aiming to attract more curious and environmentally conscious diners.
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