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OCT. NOV. 2021 XIII AT PAGE 40 AT THE TABLE Fake meat. Is meatless meat a real business? The high and medium end of the restaurant industry is rethinking sustainable cuisine. New food environments are coming to the aid of explicit demand. Changing the scenarios and tastes of customers around the world. by Riccardo Sada The fact that Alain Ducasse, as well as Daniel Humm and Gordon Ramsay, bet on vegetarian food, it means that something is changing in the world of catering. Faced with an exponential growth of vegetarians and vegans, which increased during the pandemic by 9% in Italy according to a survey by Eurispes, the top chefs are getting organised. And not only them: the whole HoReCa sector. The new French restaurant Sapid, which counts on a menu composed of 95% seasonal vegetables, is leading the way in the transalpine market. In Japan, the first synthetic Kobe fillet has been created and synthetic meat, which is becoming more and more refined in taste, smell and texture, fighting day after day with real detractors, could soon become a normality on Italian tables not only at home but also eating out, in trendy restaurants and even in canteens. THE MARKET IS OPEN FOR THE JOY OF THOSE SEEKING A SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN At the beginning of 2013, the Beyond Meat brand began selling its Beyond Chicken in mass retailers and Whole Foods Market stores in the US. Protein blends between soy and peas, fibre and other ingredients ended up on the American tables. The Californian company is still developing a wide range of products based on meat and dairy substitutes: beef, lamb, pork and turkey all plant-based and replicated to be used in stews, meatballs, burgers or of course grilled, pan-fried or sautéed. As is usual with innovations are the fast food chains, big enough to take a hit. In 2019 Burger King introduced the Impossible Whopper. McDonald’s followed suit and KFC and White Castle are doing the same. Nestlé and Morningstar (Kellogg Group) have been in the market for nearly two years and are trying to keep up with the likes of Plentify and Meati Foods, which are ahead in the race. And these niche industries continue to proliferate worldwide. Born Maverick, a Northern Irish start-up led by Azhar Murtuza, is trying with offerings ranging from shrimp and scallops (both with a seaweed base) to milk and cream to recreate the taste and texture of the real thing. Alternative meats are poised to propel the restaurant industry forward after the pandemic ends. Traditional restaurant meat supply chains are often at a standstill and suppliers, due in part to issues stemming from transport, are struggling to keep up with customer demand. Impossible Foods, by the way, now also replicates pork, a favourite in the crucial Asian market: Impossible Pork, blind-tested in Hong Kong. Vegetable pork is also making its debut in chef David Chang’s Momofuku Ssäm Bar restaurant in New York. Restaurants will soon face a critical decision when the pandemic is over: embrace meatless alternatives or continue to serve meat based on market prices tied to availability. MENUS BECOME VEGETABLE Hopdoddy Burger Bar, based in Austin, Texas, has announced that Beyond Meat will be the vegetable meat supplier for its 32 restaurants. “Clearly after everything we went through last year,” Hopdoddy Burger Bar’s top executives said, “we couldn’t open the same type of restaurant in relation to new customer demands and based on the availability of certain merchandise”. Chefs and others in the industry now see the plant-based protein category as an interesting, new and flexible option for recipe development and alternative menu offerings. Plant-based alternatives are now a staple in the industry. Many meat alternatives rely on the age-old elements of seitan (wheat gluten), rice, mushrooms, legumes, tempeh, yam flour or pressed tofu, with added flavourings to make the finished product taste like chicken, beef, lamb, ham, sausage, seafood and more. Other alternatives use modified