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As interest in health and the environment grows, more and more people are looking for meat substitutes that have a taste and texture similar to meat. Then, the livestock industry, which produces real meat, is fighting back against expressing substitute meat as meat.



This is the exclusive report by Jang Se-man, an environmental reporter.



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This is a hamburger patty that was first introduced last month in the livestock section of a large mart.



Although it is a 100% plant-based meat substitute, it is quite similar to real meat in color, as well as in juiciness and texture.



[Lee Do-kyung / Researcher at an alternative meat company: By mixing soybean-derived protein and vegetable ingredients, you can enjoy a taste and texture similar to meat (this is a product.)]



Consumer response is also not bad.



[Ji Seon-mi/Housewife: No matter how much vegetables you make, children don't eat them well. But this (vegetable substitute meat) is a vegetable like meat.]



As interest in health and the environment grows, it was analyzed that the market for substitute meat, which was 11.5 billion won in 2020, is expected to grow by nearly 35% in one year.



Then, livestock groups urged them not to sell this substitute meat at the livestock products section.



This is because display with real meat can lead to misleading consumers.



Furthermore, we asked the government to stipulate the legal definition of the terms 'meat' or 'meat'.



[Kim Young-won / Director of the Korean Beef Association: The expression meat refers to the flesh of animals, but using the expression meat or meat for artificially produced substitutes will inevitably confuse consumers (the position is that)]



Previously, in the United States, the influence of the livestock industry Some states, such as the large Mississippi, have banned the term meat as a substitute for meat, and the same rule was enacted last year in France.



As the controversy spreads, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is reviewing ways to distinguish the definitions and types of meat and meat substitutes, and said that if it is necessary to revise the regulations, it will collect opinions from related industries.



(Video coverage: Kim Won-bae, video editing: Won-hee Won, VJ: Park Hyeon-woo)