The world’s largest food and beverage manufacturer, Nestlé, has opened its first plant-based production facility in Malaysia. In order to cater to the rising demand for plant-based foods, the facility will be the first of its Plant-Based Meal Solutions manufacturing facilities in the ASEAN economic union and one of only two in the whole of Asia.
Report Finds Surprising Attitudes to Plant-Based Meat in Southeast Asia
A report commissioned by GFI APAC and conducted by the Good Growth Co. has studied consumer attitudes to plant-based meat in six Southeast Asian countries — Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. Unlike in many Western countries, only a small percentage of consumers (21% on average) said they were looking to reduce their meat consumption. In fact, almost a quarter of participants wanted to eat more meat. However, the consumers who ate the most meat were also the most enthusiastic about plant-based alternatives, while those who consumed less meat were more skeptical about plant-based products. This indicates that, unlike in the West, consumers are looking to diversify their protein consumption rather than replace meat. High levels of awareness 44% of participants said they …