<Anchor> This
is a friendly economic time.
Today (the 4th) I will be with reporter Han Ji-yeon.
He said that a survey showed that young people were positive about alternative meat.
<Reporter> In
2030, when we conducted a survey of 1,000 people from the MZ generation, 67.6% of the total, or 7 out of 10, answered positively about alternative meat.
On the other hand, there are quite a few answers such as "I don't want to use it", "I don't know", and "I don't understand", so I'll explain what substitute meat is.
To put it simply, it is an evolved form of the old soybean 'bean meat' made like meat.
It is made by mixing protein and starch extracted from soybeans.
Red beet juice perfectly reproduces even the color of meat.
Even on the screen, it looks like real meat.
Since most of the ingredients are plant-based, it is mainly used in vegan restaurants, but there are various menu items such as hamburgers and bulgogi.
Recently, alternative meat is being used in general franchise cafes, sandwiches sold in hotels, and canteens of large corporations.
<Anchor>
What are the reasons why young people have a positive view of alternative meat consumption?
<Reporter>
The most common reason was because of environmental preservation (71.4%).
It was followed by animal welfare, healthy eating habits, and preparedness for food shortages.
In fact, in the survey of all age groups, health reasons accounted for the most at 70%, whereas when only the MZ generation was surveyed, 'environmental conservation' was cited the most, revealing their beliefs.
If we look at how much it is beneficial to the environment, it is 14.5% of the total amount of greenhouse gas emitted by livestock. It generated nearly 100 kg of carbon dioxide and was the most common, far higher than rice, tofu, peas, and nuts.
The MZ generation thinks that the expansion of factory farming will inevitably lead to climate change, and substitute meat will be an alternative.
<Anchor>
If the MZ generation thinks positively about alternative meat, consumption will increase and the market will also grow. How big will this be? Do you think it could grow big enough to replace the existing meat?
<Reporter>
When I tasted it, when I judged only the taste, it felt like it had improved considerably compared to a few years ago.
First, if we look at the global alternative meat market, the size of last year was about 6.5 trillion won. Next year, it is expected to grow to 8.3 trillion won.
At this year's CES, food tech that includes this meat substitute was selected as one of the top 5 technology trends. In addition, there is a forecast that substitute meat will become the new-normal, or new standard, by 2040, accounting for more than 60% of the total meat market.
However, in Korea, the size of the substitute meat market last year was about 15.5 billion won, and it is still in its infancy. Large corporations are jumping into this blue ocean recently.
Starting with Lotte in 2019, CJ and Shinsegae launched alternative meat brands last year. Nongshim will open the industry's first vegan restaurant in April.
Interest is being drawn on which company will quickly dominate the market, and 72% of those who have experienced substitute meat will never eat it again because of its taste or texture.
<Anchor>
Considering the current situation, the prospect that the substitute meat market will grow a little more seems to be good. Of course, the existing livestock producers would object, right?
<Reporter>
The domestic substitute meat market is not huge, but it has grown by 35% in just one year. In this case, there seems to be growing anxiety in the livestock industry as to whether it is a real 'replacement' for real meat. It is the position of "remove the expression of meat".
[Kim Young-won / Director of the Korean Beef Association: If you use the expression meat or meat for artificially made substitute products, it will cause confusion to consumers... .]
If you go to the mart, you can see that this meat substitute is mixed and sold in the livestock section.
If displayed together with real meat, consumers may be mistaken.
In some states in the United States and France, the expression 'meat' in substitute meat is sometimes banned. In Korea, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is also looking into ways to classify the definition of "alternative protein food."