Shelf Sweep - Next-Gen Meats #4

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Happy Tuesday Market Shakers. Today’s post is all about the retail landscape for alternative meat in Japan. We also spoke to local expert Tassa Agustriana to give you insights into Indonesia as we begin exploring the wider APAC market. We’ll introduce the products that are available and the trends shaping the shelves. Let’s get sweeping.

Contents

In this week’s post:

• Plant-based meats at retail in Indonesia

• The state of the alt-meat landscape in Japan and trends in 2023

• Shelf sweep of products we found in Japan

Plant-Based Meats at Retail in Indonesia

To plug you into the plant-based retail space in other markets, today we’re bringing you insights from Indonesia. We spoke to Tassa Agustriana, GourmetPro consultant and Founder of THRIVE Food Consulting who is an expert in the organic, whole food industry based in Bali.

The plant-based scene is nascent in Indonesia. Compared to Japan, fewer plant-based meat options are available at retail. A small handful of supermarkets in larger cities such as Jakarta, Denpasar (capital city of Bali province), Surabaya stock a limited number of plant-based meat products.

Indonesia is A High Potential But Challenging Market for PBM

While it’s early days, Indonesia is a promising market. Indonesia is the world’s sixth-biggest emerging market by GDP. It has grown faster than any other $1trn-plus economy in the last decade (except for China and India). What’s more, this growth looks set to continue over the next decade, which means tens of millions of the world's fourth-largest population will become “middle-class”.

With this comes a burgeoning appetite for meat, which is associated with increased social status in Indonesia. Data from Statista shows that Beef consumption is steadily rising as middle-class consumers invest in luxury steak dinners. At the moment, the idea of instead choosing an equally expensive plant-based burger is almost impossible to swallow for most Indonesians.

There are other reasons why Indonesia is a challenging market for alternative meat. The biggest is the traditional diet. Whole foods are cheap and plentiful in Indonesia and its people are accustomed to eating plenty of fruit, vegetables, and plant-based proteins like tempeh. Given this, your average consumer cannot understand the logic behind taking plants, processing them to look like meat, and selling them at an even higher price point.

According to Tassa, for most consumers in Indonesia, environmental concerns don’t factor in when making a purchase. They are price-conscious, however. As most plant-based meat products in Indonesia cost more than regular meat, consumers aren’t even registering the former as a choice.

The Retails Landscape for PBM in Indonesia

Though for most consumers, there isn’t a choice. The retail landscape in Indonesia is still developing. Inside and outside of big cities, many consumers continue to pick up groceries at wet markets, where there is no shelf space for PBM. 

In terms of what’s available in supermarkets, Tassa tells us that PBM is mainly the domain of smaller local chains. Generally, it is the ones located near an expat neighborhoods such as Pepito and Tiara Gatzu. There are also small specialty stores in cities with higher religious followings of Buddhism and Hinduism. 

At retail then, the consumer base is limited. Expats who are familiar with the PBM trend, the very wealthy, and devotees of certain religions purchase plant-based meat. In short, your average Indonesian consumer is not yet seeking or seeing PBM.

PBM Innovation Takes Root in Indonesia

Tassa notes that there are signs of potential for the PBM market in Indonesia. Local brands, notably Green Rebel, Indonesia’s leading PBM maker, offer competitively priced products that are flavored for local tastes. The company sprung out of Burgreens, an Indonesian plant-based restaurant chain, during COVID-19 lockdowns. It began selling its dine-in menu as frozen packs to cook at home under the Green Rebel brand. Green Rebel products are now available in over 1000 outlets in Indonesia.

Other rising PBM players include Meatless Kingdom which offers ready-to-eat PBM such as Indonesian jerky and rendang via their online store and retail. OFF Meat, a local company that makes plant-based nuggets, burgers, and kebabs, is expanding by collaborating with food service.

3 Keys to Successful Growth of Plant-Based Meat in Indonesia

With plant-based innovation taking root in Indonesia, Tassa explains there are three things to keep in mind to grow the PBM category in Indonesia.

Looking to ride the whole, organic, and PB food waves in APAC?

The market for whole, organic, and PB foods is growing in APAC. If you’re hungry to explore opportunities in the region, your journey starts by understanding the regional differences, from cultural to regulatory. GourmetPro has local experts like Tassa who can guide you toward successful cross-border expansion in this diverse, thriving market. Contact us today and let’s begin exploring how you can unlock opportunities in APAC.

Alt-Meat Trends at Retail in Japan

Over the last two years, the number of alt-meat products available at retail has increased significantly. Many medium and large supermarkets have dedicated multiple shelves, or entire sections, to plant-based products. In big supermarkets in and around major cities, these sections span ambient, chilled, and frozen temperature zones.

Current products available in Japan can be roughly split into three types. The first is ingredients used for cooking, which include mince analogs and dry-type soy meat chunks. With innovators like NEXT MEATS, Beyond Meat, and Omni Meat gradually growing their presence at retail and on restaurant menus, this is a space to watch.

Next, there are ready meal-type products which include frozen plant-based meat dishes like Yonekyu’s AIRMEAT series, as well as retort pouches of plant-based curry and pasta sauces. The number of products on offer in this category is growing rapidly as customers increasingly seek convenient healthy foods. These products are also a boon for companies because they can flavor them with seasonings and spices to mask off-notes of plant-based proteins.

Companies have also capitalized on the packaging opportunities of ready meals to overcome Japanese consumers’ uncertainty about trying plant-based products. Displaying enticing images of meals that are familiar to Japanese consumers helps to reduce feelings of apprehension. Many retort pouch-type products, such as Kagome’s “Plant Based” series, promote products’ high nutritional values to appeal to trends towards healthy eating in Japan.

Finally, we have processed meat-type products. These are chilled or frozen products like nuggets, hamburgers, luncheon meats, and meatballs. These products are mostly produced by Japan’s leading meat companies (Itou Ham, Nippon Ham, etc.) and occupy the majority of the chilled shelf space.

Looking towards the future of the alt-meat category at retail, we see a growing trend toward ready meals. This chimes with the broader trend in Japan of demand for convenient, healthy foods. And with plant-based products being perceived by many consumers as healthy, they may just make the ideal ingredient for ready meals.

Specifically, there has been a rise in the number of ready-meal products with an international flavor, especially Indian-inspired curries, Chinese dishes like mapo dofu, and Italian pasta sauces. Not only do these richly flavored dishes help mask off-notes of PBM, but they present them in a format that is familiar to Japanese consumers. There is space in this category for other regional cuisines such as South East Asian-inspired plant-based meat dishes.

With this said, let’s explore the alt-meats products we found at retail in Japan. And don’t forget to share your thoughts about gaps and opportunities for PBM in Japan in the comments section of today’s post!

Shelf Sweep of Alt-Meat Products at Retail in Japan

We’ve categorized the products we found by temperature zone:

1. Frozen

2. Chilled

3. Ambient

   1. Retort Pouches

   2. Dry-type products

1. Frozen Products

Green Meat Mince

• Company: Green Culture

• Price: 4 x 220g frozen plant-based mince | 2,998 JPY / month

• Channels: D2C via EC site. The product is also sold to food service.

Green Culture is a plant-based meat startup founded in 2021. They originally sold their plant-based mince to food services, namely restaurants and hotels. In 2022 they launched an EC site to sell their products to consumers. The products are sold on a monthly subscription basis in packs of 4 or 8. The packaging promotes high protein content and low cholesterol. 

According to president Goshi Kaneda, the product is designed for home cooks who can use the mince in place of beef, pork, or chicken. Their EC site has a large collection of recipes to support this.

Ever Chicken Nuggets

• Company: 2Foods

• Price: 500g bag, 1500 ~ 2280 JPY depending on the outlet

• Channels: The product is sold in 2Foods physical and online stores and through Rakuten and Amazon.

2Foods is a Japanese startup founded in 2021 that aims to make healthy junk food using plant-based ingredients. They added plant-based chicken nuggets to their existing lineup in 2022. The product seeks to replicate the experience of a McDonalds’ chicken nugget according to their website.

AIRMEAT - Frozen Plant-Based Ready Meals

• Company: Yonekyu

• Price: 180g pack | 298 ~ 358 JPY

• Channels: Product sold through large supermarket chains (i.e. AEON, ITO YOKADO) and online via Amazon.

Yonekyu launched a series of soy-meat frozen meals in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The products are based on Asian dishes that are popular in Japan such as yukkejyan (a Korean spicy stew) and mapo dofu.

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NEXT MEATS KALBI 2.0

• Company: NEXT MEATS

• Price: 80g pack | 298

• Channels: Products sold via retail (AEON) and online via NEXT MEATS website.

NEXT MEATS, one of the pioneering startups of plant-based meat in Japan, has expanded its product lineup since we introduced them in March, 2021. This includes new iterations of plant-based kalbi, and a lineup of plant-based ready meals sold through select AEON stores in Japan as well as their online store.

ZERO MEAT - Frozen Plant-Based Burgers 

• Company: Otsuka Foods

• Price: 90g multipack | 288

• Channels: Product sold via retail (AEON, ITO YOKADO).

Otsuka Foods launched its ZERO MEAT range in 2018. The lineup includes plant-based burgers which we found in frozen and refrigerated sections of Japanese supermarkets. Seeking to grow the market for soy meat significantly by 2025, Otsuka has partnered with family restaurant chain Denny’s to launch ZERO MEAT hamburger menu items to boost awareness of their products.

2. Chilled Products

Zero Meat Range - Hamburgers, Sausages, Luncheon Meat

• Company: Otsuka Foods

• Price: 298 JPY (excluding tax)

• Channels: available in most large supermarket chains in Japan (i.e. AEON, Maruetsu, ITO YOKADO).

We found ZERO MEAT sold in the chilled sections of the large supermarkets we visited. They also offer multipacks for frozen hamburgers (see above).

Marude Meat Range (Burgers, Nuggets, Karaage, Meatballs, etc)

• Company: Itou Ham

• Price: 298 JPY (excluding tax)

• Channels: available in most large supermarket chains in Japan such as AEON, ITO YOKADO, Maruetsu,  LIFE, etc.

Itou Ham has continued to add to their wide range of plant-based processed meat products since launching in 2020. At the same time, they have expanded distribution to an increasing number of supermarkets throughout Japan.

Natu Meat Range (Luncheon Meat, Hamburgers, Cutlets, Nuggets)

• Company: Nippon Ham

• Price: 234 ~ 475 JPY (inc. tax)

• Channels: available in most large supermarket chains in Japan.

We also found Nippon Ham’s products in most of the large supermarkets that we visited.

Vegetive (Hamburgers, Cutlets, Meatballs, etc)

• Company: AEON

• Price: 278 ~ 321 JPY (inc. tax)

• Channels: AEON Group stores such as AEON, Peacock, Daiei, etc.

We found AEON’s own brand of plant-based meat products in all the large AEON outlets we visited. We also found the products in some of AEON’s group companies such as Peacock. AEON’s products can be found in dedicated plant-based refrigerated spaces.

Try Veggie (Meatballs, Hamburgers, Cutlets, Fried Chicken, etc.)

• Company: Prima Ham

• Price: 278 ~ 321 JPY (inc. tax)

• Channels: available in most large supermarket chains in Japan such as AEON, etc.

Prima Ham launched a series of frozen and chilled plant-based meat products in 2021. They partnered with Marukome to make use of their Daizu Lab plant-based meat. We found these products dotted throughout large chains of supermarkets in the capital.

Green Grocers (Beyond Beef mince)

• Company: Beyond Meat and United Super Markets Holdings

• Price: 1 x 485g | 1599 JPY (inc. tax)

• Channels: Select Maruetsu, Max Value, and Kasumi stores in Greater Tokyo.

Beyond Meat entered Japan late in 2022 through a partnership with United Super Market Holdings (USMH). Initially, Beyond Meat is being sold under USMH’s own Green Grocer brand. Their packaged beef is available as a standalone product and in various delicatessen and baked items at select chains of Maruetsu, Kasumi, and Max Value in the Greater Tokyo Area.

3. Ambient Products

3a. Retort Pouch-Type Products

PlantRECIPE Series Plant-Based Curries and Stews

• Company: Marudai Foods

• Price: 1 x 180g pouch | 360 JPY (tax included)

In 2022, Marudai Foods launched a lineup of curry and stew pouches that contain soy meat. The products launched in line with the “Soy Meat on Meat Day” campaign in April. The campaign was established by a group of soy-meat makers. It promotes consumers to eat soy meat on “Meat Day”, a monthly promotion from supermarkets and restaurants that offer consumers discount meat.

Kagome Plant-Based Series - Plant-Based Meat Sauce Pouches

• Company: Kagome

• Price: 1 x 140g | 178 ~ 398 JPY depending on product type

• Channels: Available in large supermarket chains (i.e. AEON, ITO YOKADO) and via e-commerce (Amazon).

Kagome first launched plant-based products in 2019. Since then they have added a total of 11 items to their Plant-Based series of heat-and-eat-sauces. There are three core product lines in the series, pasta sauces, curries, and ethnic foods. Marketing materials focus on the variety and convenience of the products, suggesting it’s ideal for flexitarian-curious consumers. We found these products in supermarkets including AOEN, SEIYU, Ito Yokado and Maruetsu.

WithPlants - Plant-Based Curry Sauces

• Company: S&B

• Price: 1 x 180g | 300 JPY (inc. tax)

S&B added to their lineup of plant-based retort pouches in 2022. WithPlants includes both curries and pasta sauces. The products emphasize high fiber content.

3b. Dry Products

Dried and canned plant-based meats are Japan’s legacy meat alternatives. This space continues to be dominated by historic products from macrobiotic food maker Ohsawa Japan, the vegetarian food maker Karuna, Saniku Foods, and Maisen Genmai. One of the most widely available dry products at retail is miso maker Marukome’s “Soy Lab”, which we found in most large supermarket chains we visited.

These products, designed for home cooking, come in a range of forms, such as “mince” and “fillet”. There hasn’t been much innovation in this category since we last wrote about it in 2021.

That’s all folks

Thanks for reading our shelf sweep of alt-meats in Japan. Let us know what you think in the comments below. If we missed any PBM products at retail in Japan, we’d love to know.

See you next Tuesday!

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