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Plant-based progress? Japan’s NEXT MEATS touts cleaner labels but better texture and taste
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The firm unveiled the soy protein-based meat alternative named NEXT BEEF 1.0 at a trade fair in Thailand earlier this year.
“Based on feedback given to our plant-based short rib and skirt steak, we worked on improving the texture and taste during the development of NEXT BEEF 1.0.
“We put some of it into Japanese curry, and the response was very positive — everything that we prepared were wiped out by visitors at the event,” Mitsuru Anthony Ueno, chief operating officer of NEXT MEATS USA, told FoodNavigator-Asia.
According to Ueno, the product is primarily made of soy protein, water and sunflower oil, and can be stored at room temperature for up to 12 months.
“I would say the biggest difference between us and our competitors is that we don’t use any artificial colouring or flavouring. We want our products to be healthy, so we decided not to go that direction [of using chemicals to enhance taste]. The fact that we only use three main ingredients was well received by many people that I talked to.
“Our partner company in Japan specialises in canned food and is equipped with technology to preserve food without using any chemical preservatives. Furthermore, the cost of shipping frozen food products is extremely high. As we are looking to expand into markets in Europe, US, India, and South East Asia (SEA), we decided to make an ambient product to facilitate exportation and to be more price competitive.”
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