The plant-based meat movement is going strong in China. Multiple big brands have recently incorporated plant-based choices in their menus like McDonald’s, Muji and KFC – and now IKEA has also joined the pack.
IKEA’s famous Swedish meatballs have been reimagined as “a plant ball for meat lovers,” which is the tagline from their new promotional video. The video lists the ingredients of the plant ball as pea protein, onion, potatoes, oat bran, dried apple, rapeseed oil and rice flour. They then explain that the meaty flavor is achieved with mushroom, tomato, lemon, black pepper, classic allspice and salt.
The vegan plant balls retail in store for RMB20.90 for eight pieces or RMB39.90 for a 500-gram frozen bag.
Image via @宜家家居/WeChat
Image via @小步VEGAN/WeChat
The product was first released earlier this year in other parts of the world, and will be available at all IKEA’s on the Chinese mainland starting Saturday, November 21.
The plant balls are part of IKEA’s sustainable strategy set for 2030, and “the climate footprint is just 4% of the original [meatballs].” The Swedish retailer has promised to switch 20% of its menu to plant-based alternatives by 2022 and has already included vegan smoothies, sorbet and hot dogs.
READ MORE: New Meat: Is China Ready for a Plant-Based Future?
[Cover image via Seth Lui]
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