VOA慢速英语2019 全球"人造肉"企业争夺中国市场（在线收听）

New Businesses Want to Sell Fake Meat to China

Some new companies that focus on plant protein are starting to do business in Hong Kong. They aim to enter the mainland’s successful multi-billion-dollar food market.

一些专注于植物蛋白研究的初创公司纷纷进入中国香港拓展业务。他们的目标是打入内地蓬勃发展的价值数十亿美元的食品市场。

Impossible Foods, JUST and Beyond Meat say their products are more sustainable and environmentally friendly than animal meat.

Impossible Foods、JUST和Beyond Meat公司表示，他们的产品较传统肉制品更具可持续性和环保性。

Plant proteins are fake meat products made from vegetables and grains. They include eggless eggs, pea-stuffed burgers and cell-grown fish products.

植物蛋白制品是用蔬菜和谷物制作的人造肉。这类产品包括无蛋鸡蛋，豌豆馅汉堡以及细胞养殖的鱼产品。

The research firm Market and Markets says the value of the global meat substitutes market was around $4.6 billion last year and is predicted to reach $6.4 billion by 2023. Asia is the fastest growing part of that market.

研究公司Market and Markets表示，去年全球肉类替代品市场的价值约为46亿美元，预计到2023年将达到64亿美元。其中亚洲的市场增速最快。

Big money

利润丰厚

Plant protein firms have financial support from some of the world’s top billionaires, including Hong Kong businessman Li Ka-shing, philanthropist Bill Gates and actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

植物蛋白公司得到了一些全球顶级亿万富翁的投资，包括香港富商李嘉诚，慈善家比尔·盖茨以及演员莱昂纳多·迪卡普里奥（Leonardo DiCaprio）。

Peter Thiel is one of those giving money to San Francisco-based JUST. The company has a value of $1 billion and is planning to start selling its mung bean fake egg product in six Chinese cities starting next month.

彼得·泰尔（Peter Thiel）是总部位于旧金山的JUST.公司的投资者之一。这家市值达到10亿美元的公司计划下月起向中国6座城市销售绿豆蛋制品。

The company says its use of the mung bean, a typical Chinese food, helps Chinese customers feel more comfortable with the foods made with it. They trust that it is safe.

该公司表示，以中国传统食材绿豆为制作原料有助于提升中国消费者的亲切感。他们相信，这种食品是安全的。

China has a history of food safety issues. The problems have included eggs with plastic powder, very old frozen meat and crops ruined with heavy metals.

中国的食品安全问题频发。其中包括假鸡蛋、过期冷冻肉以及被重金属污染的农作物。

Nick Cooney is a partner of Lever VC, a U.S.-Asian investor focused on the new food companies. He said Chinese customers will try new, different foods more easily than people in other countries.

尼克·库尼（Nick Cooney）是关注初创食品公司的美国亚洲风险投资基金Lever VC的合伙人。他说，中国消费者将比其他国家的人更容易尝试新鲜、不同的食物。

Beyond Meat makes burgers and sausages from pea protein. Its sales in Hong Kong increased by 300 percent last year, said Beyond Meat’s David Yeung.

Beyond Meat公司用豌豆蛋白制作汉堡和香肠。Beyond Meat的大卫·杨（David Yeung）表示，该公司去年在香港的销售额增长了300%。

Another competitor, Impossible Foods, says its soy burgers will remove the need to use animals for food and make the global food system sustainable.

另一家竞争对手Impossible Foods公司表示，他们的大豆汉堡将不再需要用动物做食材，并促进全球食品体系可持续发展。

The group has received around $450 million in funding since 2011. Investments have come from Lee Ka-shing’s Horizons Ventures and Google Ventures.

自2011年以来，该集团已获得约4.5亿美元的资金。其中包括李嘉诚的维港投资(Horizons Ventures)和谷歌Ventures的投资。

Growing fish to meet Asian tastes

养殖鱼迎合亚洲人口味

Hong Kong-based Avant Meats uses cell technology to replace fish and seafood products. This process uses the stem cells from an animal to grow meat in a laboratory. Avant Meats is developing a cell-based fish parts sample to be introduced later this year, its chief executive Carrie Chan told Reuters. The fish parts are popular in Asian soups and stews.

总部位于香港的Avant meat公司使用细胞技术来替代鱼类和海鲜产品。这个过程使用动物的干细胞在实验室里进行养殖。Avant Meats首席执行官Carrie Chan告诉路透社，该公司正在开发一种基于细胞的鱼肚样品，将于今年晚些时候推出。鱼肚在亚洲汤和炖菜中很受欢迎。

Right Treat, another Hong Kong company headed by David Yeung, is seeking to replace Asia’s favorite meat – pork. The new product, called “Omnipork,” combines mushrooms, peas and rice for people to use in dumplings and meatballs.

另一家以杨领导的香港公司Right Treat正在设法取代亚洲最受欢迎的肉类 - 猪肉。新产品“Omnipork”用蘑菇，豌豆和大米制作饺子和肉丸。

Since Omnipork was first sold in Hong Kong in April 2018, sales have tripled – in other words, increased by three times.

自2018年4月在香港首次推出以来，销售额已经增长了三倍。

“If we want to change the world, we must find ways to shift Asian diet and consumption, which means we must find ways to reduce Asia’s dependence on pork and other meat products,” said Yeung.

杨表示：“如果我们想要改变世界，我们必须设法改变亚洲的饮食与消费方式，这意味着我们必须找到减少亚洲对猪肉和其他肉类产品依赖的方法。”

Supporters of plant-based protein say meat substitutes are healthier for people. They also use less water, produce fewer greenhouse gases and use less land than producing the same amount of meat.

植物蛋白产品的支持者表示，肉类替代品更有益于身体健康。与生产同样数量的肉制品相比，生产这类产品使用的水资源更少，产生的温室气体更少，也不会占用较多土地资源。

Consumers, however, must be willing to pay a little more. Both Omnipork and Impossible Burger are more expensive than the meats they replace.

然而，消费者必须愿意多花点钱。Omnipork和Impossible Burger的食品价格均高于其所替代的肉制品。

Words in This Story

sustainable – adj. involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources

philanthropist – n. a wealthy person who gives money and time to help make life better for other people

stem cell – n. a simple cell in the body that is able to develop into any one of various kinds of cells (such as blood cells, skin cells, etc.)

sample – n. a small amount of something that is given to people to try

shift – v. to change or to cause (something) to change to a different opinion or belief

consumption – n. the act of eating or drinking something