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Reuters

Beyond Meat said on Thursday it has launched an online store in China on JD.com’s e-commerce platform, as the plant-based meatmaker aims to boost sales in the world’s biggest meat market where consumer interest in meat alternatives is low.
US-based Beyond Meat said in a statement the JD.com store will initially help expand availability of its products in four major cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, and eventually in 300 cities across China.
JD.com’s 18 cold chain warehouses will provide delivery of Beyond Meat products to consumers within 48 hours of orders being placed, it said.
Its products are mainly available in China through its partnerships with Starbucks Corp, Yum China Holdings Inc and Alibaba Group Holding’s Freshippo markets.
The millennial entrepreneur creating China’s answer to Beyond Meat
But expanding into the retail segment by selling on JD.com will help it reach a wider audience in the country, which is increasingly purchasing fresh food online.
Online sales in China of fresh food, into which category Beyond Meat’s products fall, are expected to top 300 billion yuan (US$46.40 billion) this year, an increase of 18 per cent from 2020, according to consultancy iiMedia Research.
Beyond Meat’s direct retail foray follows a similar move by Nestle in December, which launched a range of plant-based burgers, sausages, nuggets and dishes suited to Chinese cooking.
The push by global firms comes even as consumers in China are not exactly devouring plant-based meat.
“Currently, it is a solo dance by the manufacturers, the consumers are not joining the tango,” said Zhu Danpeng, an independent food industry analyst.


Chinese consumers are deterred by concerns over food safety as well as taste, said Zhu.
A recent poll on the Sina Weibo social media platform found only 14 per cent of 400 participants were willing to try plant-based meat.
Nevertheless, the promise of a market with 1.4 billion people is enticing for the companies.
Beyond Meat, which has set up its first manufacturing plant outside of the United States in the eastern Chinese city of Jiaxing, near Shanghai, declined to comment on its sales in the market.
A 0.454kg twin pack of plant-based beef will be sold at 210 yuan on the company’s JD store. By comparison, 1kg of good quality domestic beef costs about 140 yuan on JD’s fresh food platform.
China’s food tech sector shows promise as consumers seek alternative diets
“We see that Chinese consumers pay more and more attention to healthy diet and lifestyle,” James Ye, general manager of JD Fresh said. “Via our long-established advantages in supply chain, cold chain logistics, retail and omni-channels, we hope to bring Beyond Meat’s healthy and high-quality products to Chinese consumers.”
Liu Yiping, a 45-year-old businessman in Beijing, said he likes the sandwich with Beyond Meat at Starbucks.
“I tried it for fun as I wonder how the taste will be,” he said. “It is not bad but still won’t make me try the second time as it is not cheap.”
Beyond Meat is also adding Beyond Pork, created for the pork-loving Chinese market, to its offering on JD.com.
It will also sell ingredients that are used in the cooking of local dishes such as stir-fry, dumplings, mapo tofu, zhajiang noodles and lion’s head meatballs to appeal to Chinese consumers.


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JD.com’s US$1.4 billion plan heats up on-demand delivery battle with Meituan, Alibaba

Taobao’s daily on-demand orders soar as China’s instant e-commerce war heats up

Will China’s bid to boost domestic demand pay off?

JD.com

Beyond Meat opens JD.com store in e-commerce push to entice meat substitute-averse Chinese consumers

Beyond Meat “Beyond Burger” patties made from plant-based substitutes for meat products sit on a shelf for sale on November 15, 2019, in New York City. Photo: AFP

The meat-free burger this Hongkonger could eat every day, plus where to go in Spain for the best pintxos

Wong recommends the falafel burger at Treehouse in Central. Photo: Tory Ho

Exterior of Treehouse restaurant in Central. 05SEP19 [FEATURES] SCMP / Tory Ho

Tosca de Angelo interior at The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong PHOTO handout

The exterior of Peek-A-Poke on Haven Street in Causeway Bay. SCMP / Simone McCarthy [FEATURES 2018]

Pintxos in San Sebastian, Madrid, in Spain, are highly recommended. Images is for I Know A Place column, featuring Ceicy Wong, Hong Kong general manager and local business partner of Vegware.

Ceicy Wong, who sells plant-based packaging for a living, loves Restaurante Casa Urola in San Sebastian, Spain for the no-frills pintxos. Photo: Ceicy Wong

US JBS ransomware hack likely from Russia as meatpacker prepares to resume operations

A JBS Processing Plant stands dormant after halting operations on June 1 in Greeley, Colorado. Photo: AFP

The JBS Beef Production Facility in Greeley, Colorado, U.S., on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. A cyberattack on JBS SA, the world's largest meat producer, has forced the shutdown of some of the largest slaughterhouses globally, and there are signs that the closures are spreading. Photographer: Michael Ciaglo/Bloomberg

Horses graze outside the JBS beef plant in Brooks, Alberta, Canada, on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. A cyberattack on JBS SA, the world's largest meat producer, has forced the shutdown of some of the largest slaughterhouses globally, and there are signs that the closures are spreading. Photographer: Alex Ramadan/Bloomberg

Hong Kong’s Green Monday sees breakthrough for plant-based ‘pork’ in swine fever-hit China

Start-up Green Monday is making a big push for its plant-based meat substitute, Omnipork, in mainland China, as the world’s largest hog-producing nation continues to battle African swine fever outbreaks. Photo: AP

The ingredients of Omnipork, the plant-based meat product from Hong Kong-based start-up Green Monday, include rice, peas, non-GMO (genetically modified organism) soy and shiitake mushroom. Photo: Handout

Omnipork, the plant-based meat substitute from Hong Kong-based start-up Green Monday, was featured at Alibaba Group Holding's Taobao Makers Festival, held in Hangzhou on September 11. Photo: Handout

David Yeung, co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Green Monday, poses for a photograph with a dish of Spaghetti Bolognese made with plant-based omnipork at the Kind Kitchen restaurant in Hong Kong, China, on Thursday, June 20, 2019. After its success distributing†Beyond Meat Inc.'s mock beef patties in Asia, start-up†Green Monday†has a new food challenge: convince Chinese consumers to try its lab-grown meatless pork. Photographer: Paul Yeung/Bloomberg

Hong Kong-based start-up Green Monday's plant-based meat product, Omnipork, is now available on cross-border e-commerce platform Tmall Global. Photo: Handout

Beyond Meat gets an edge in China as its meatless burgers become first in grocery stores

Beyond Meat’s plant-based burger patties went on sale Saturday in Shanghai Hema grocery stores. Photo: Bloomberg

Yum China to bring Beyond Meat's plant-based burgers to Chinese branches of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell

Packages of Beyond Meat plant-based burger patties are displayed for a photograph in Illinois, US, on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. Photo: Bloomberg

Tech

Big Tech

Tech Trends

Business

China Business


Beyond Meat is moving into retail with JD.com in China, where its products have mostly been available through Starbucks, Yum China and Alibaba’s Freshippo
As companies increasingly invest in plant-based meats in China, consumers remain wary over food safety and taste



Beyond Meat is moving into retail with JD.com in China, where consumers have been wary of plant-based meats despite heavy investment from global firms.


Technology

E-commerce

Beyond Meat opens JD.com store in e-commerce push to entice meat substitute-averse Chinese consumers

Beyond Meat is moving into retail with JD.com in China, where its products have mostly been available through Starbucks, Yum China and Alibaba’s Freshippo As companies increasingly invest in plant-based meats in China, consumers remain wary over food safety and taste

Beyond Meat is moving into retail with JD.com in China, where its products have mostly been available through Starbucks, Yum China and Alibaba’s Freshippo

As companies increasingly invest in plant-based meats in China, consumers remain wary over food safety and taste