In the United States, 20% of children are said to be obese. The obesity rate for those aged 2 to 19 is 19%. Amid this trend, artificial meat is gaining attention. Major food companies such as Nestlé and Unilever are investing heavily in the development of plant-based artificial meat. Changes in dietary habits are occurring in Europe and the United States. Vegans are increasingly choosing to avoid animal meat due to health and environmental concerns. As of 2019, the number of vegans in the UK reached 600,000, a four-fold increase over four years. Flexitarians, who consume meat and dairy products but limit their portions, are also on the rise. In this context, half of German and French consumers are reducing their meat consumption. Environmental awareness is high in Europe and the United States, especially among young people. The trend toward vegan and flexitarian foods appears to be growing stronger as environmental and health concerns grow.
In response to this trend toward reducing meat consumption, traditional Japanese cuisine and ingredients are gaining recognition overseas. First up is Minami Foods from Hirono Town, Iwate Prefecture. Minami Foods is expanding overseas with its processed soy product, “yuba.” Yuba is made only from soybeans and water. This yuba is sold under the product name “Nanbu Yuba.” Minami Foods noticed that yuba, which is also derived from soybeans, has little competition. As a result, they built an integrated yuba factory, from production to drying, packaging, and shipping, which began operations in 2022. They exhibited at a food trade show held in New York in 2022 and apparently determined that there was market potential in the US and Europe. They anticipated demand for it as a food source of plant-based protein, particularly among vegans. They are currently supplying Japanese supermarkets and high-end supermarkets with a drinkable soup made by rehydrating dried yuba in hot water.
At the other end of the spectrum from the obesity and diabetes problems facing America are those known as “raw foodists.” There are a certain number of “raw foodists” in developed Western countries. Raw foodists don’t eat meat or fish. They buy high-quality vegetables at supermarkets and blend them into a concentrated form before eating. Raw foodists are all extremely skinny and suffer from chronic energy deficiency. Women who follow raw food diets stop menstruating, and men’s sexual function declines. They continue this lifestyle even though they are all extremely skinny. Obesity is a problem, but being extremely skinny is also a problem. These people, too, are beginning to think about their own health. The answer to the conflict between the need for protein and vegetarianism seems to be the consumption of soy-based foods.
