Non-vegetarians in India wouldn’t have ever imag- ined that the experience of eating meat could be even nearly simulated with a healthier and environmental-friendly substitute. However, the recent trends paint a different picture and have something to say. Plant-based meats involve technology and innovation that replicates the taste, smell and texture of animal meat but is made exclusively from plant ingredients like soya chunks, jackfruit, gluten, legume protein and mushroom. Products available include mock kebabs, burger patties, nuggets, hot dog, sausages etc. Why is it necessary for the environment? India’s second-fastest growing processed meat market contributes to about 4.11% of the total GDP. The rate of consumption of meat is extremely high in India, which involves animal farming and directly leads to an increase in Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Consumption of meat requires pressure on the farming & livestock industry. The vicious circle is endless; animal farming requires grazing, which subsequently leads to exploitation of natural resources, resulting in the loss of water table level. Considering the unhygienic environment in the slaughterhouses and unethical practices attached to animal farming, it adds on to the detrimental increase of environmental problems. Plant-based meats do not exploit natural resources. They in fact, reduce the carbon footprint. There’s only one dependency – absorption of solar energy, which is required for the plants to create food. Animals, on the other hand, need to consume food, which is done through grazing. This is a ‘back to square one’ situation. When you choose plants as your direct source of protein, you are choosing a healthy life without destroying the ecosystem. Growth of the market in India: Although not exponentially, but this sector is seeing slow changes. During 2019-2020, eight plant-based meat Indian start-ups were launched and five international & Indian players entered the market during 2020-2021. Indian has a wide customer base for the market. India’s agricultural biodiversity offers these start-ups with a wide range of choices and opportunities. With the growing demand for investment in the agri- tech market, collaborations and partnerships could be very fruitful for exports. All innovations are taking place keeping in mind mass affordability and making it more crisis-resilient. The cost of these substitutes is significantly higher than regular meat, which means they’ll first target tier-1 cities. As their customer base expands, they will target other cities eventually. Many start-ups like GoodDot, OhVeg, Vezlay, Imagine Meats, Clear Meat etc. have already captured a huge share in the market and are growing with steady pace! Moreover, Dominos has recently launched a product called ‘the un- thinkable pizza’, made just from plant-based proteins with the same taste and smell like chicken. “India can be a back-end for the global plant-based meat industry, considering the availability of skilled manpower and abundant agri-processing resources,” says Abhishek Sinha, co-founder and CEO of GoodDot. Imagine having meat on Tuesday, or as for vegetarians, imagine tasting chicken without having to actually taste it! Considering the heterogenous population in India, plant- based meat markets have already found their place to grow.
10 Jan 2022
Shirin Panjoo
