reply More Japanese are eating at home and meat substitutes are selling like hot cakes

With more and more Japanese eating at home in the wake of the epidemic, soy protein based meat substitutes are now popular.Japan's meat substitutes market is enjoying a sales boom, with several food producers seizing the opportunity to offer more meat substitutes, the Japan Times reported Wednesday. In March, for example, food processing giant Japan Ham Foods Launched five sausages made from soybeans, konjac and the like. Fast food chain Moss Foods began selling a vegetable - and grain-based sandwich in May that excludes dairy and other animal products. A large miso producer sells dried minced beans as an alternative to minced meat.Sales of plant-based meat substitutes in Japan are expected to rise to 34.6 billion yen (2.23 billion yuan) this year and 78 billion yen (5.52 billion yuan) by 2030, according to market research firm Seed Planning.Citing industry sources, the Japan Times reported that some meat substitutes have been attracting consumer concern since around last year. These products are made of fat-free soybeans processed at high temperature and pressure and then added with water, etc. They are rich in cellulose, low fat and taste like meat, so they are favored by different people. Since the outbreak this year, many people have been unable to eat out, either by cooking at home or ordering take-out food, and a growing focus on healthy eating and the impact of meat production on the environment has helped boost sales of meat substitutes in Japan.