NEWS IN BRIEF WORLD: US alternative meat start-up Impossible Foods announced on 23 September that it is launching its plant-based pork in Hong Kong, Singapore and the USA. Impossible Pork would be available first in the USA, and then in Hong Kong at more than 100 restaurants followed by a November launch in Singapore. Soya protein and coconut and sunflower oils are among the ingredients of the new plant-based pork. The main ingredient responsible for mimicking the taste and texture of Impossible Foods’ meat substitutes is soya leghaemoglobin, a source of heme, a key protein responsible for meat’s colour and savoury flavour.
Malaysia to lift foreign labour ban at plantations The Malaysian government’s decision to lift the foreign labour ban on oil palm plantations has the potential to ease pressure on the sector, The Edge reported on 6 October. However, there was still some way to go before the industry would see any meaningful impact from the move, according to the report. The city of Putrajaya’s special grant to bring in 32,000 foreign workers for the plantation sector was the only exemption given to any sector with regards to foreign labour, with other industries such as manufacturing having to wait until at least 31 December. While the government’s green light for foreign labour would help to restore productivity and allow for better cost efficiency, plantation companies needed at least one to two months to recruit foreign workers, according to Ivy Ng Lee Fang, head of Malaysia Research and regional head of Agribusiness Research at CGS-CIMB Securities Sdn Bhd.
“Bear in mind that the recruitment process must follow environmental, social and governance criteria, followed by a quarantine period,” Ng told The Edge. Kenanga Research analyst Adrian Kok noted on 20 September that since the implementation of the foreign labour freeze last March, the situation in plantations had deteriorated to a labour shortage of about 75,000 harvesters, from 40,000 previously, and a yield loss of 20%, The Edge reported. “We estimate an additional worker shortage of an average of 2,000 with each passing month. Efforts to recruit locals are ongoing, but the attrition rate is high, with about 60% leaving within a year,” Kok was reported as saying. Sime Darby Plantation told The Edge that its Malaysian operations had seen a decline in fresh fruit bunch (FFB) production in the last two years partly as a result of the labour shortage, falling 3% in full-year 2020 compared with 2019.
Swiss food and drink giant Nestlé is expanding its plantbased portfolio with two new additions – egg and shrimp alternatives, the company announced on 7 October. Launched as Garden Gourmet vEGGie, the plant-based egg product is vegan, contains soya protein and omega-3 fatty acids and can be scrambled, used as an ingredient in pancakes and used in baking in the same way as real eggs, according to the company. The Garden Gourmet vEGGie’s ingredients also include
Photo: Nestlé
Nestlé launching plant-based egg and shrimp
Nestlé's plant-based egg contains soya protein and omega-3 fatty acids
rapeseed oil, natural flavouring and carrot concentrate (car-
rots, sugar, sunflower oil and citrus juice concentrate).
Nestlé’s plant-based seafood Vrimp offering is also vegan and is made from seaweed, peas and konjac root. The two new products would be introduced as a testand-learn range in a limited number of stores in Switzerland and Germany. The Vrimp’s debut follows the launch of Garden Gourmet Vuna, now available in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. Vuna contains water, pea protein, wheat protein, rapeseed oil, salt and natural flavourings.
Chinese crush plants shut due to energy consumption curbs A number of soyabean crushing plants in China were ordered to shut down due to government curbs on energy consumption to meet stringent emission targets, AgriCensus reported on 23 September. The Chinese provinces of Jiangsu and Tianjin were particularly hit as provincial governments curbed electricity supplies. Beijing introduced the curbs to meet the central government’s energy saving plan – formally called “Dual Control System of Total Energy Consumption and 4 OFI – NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
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Energy Intensity” – to reach President Xi Jinping’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2060, the report said. As part of the plan, each provincial government was required to set an energy intensity target and build lists of high energy consumption and energy-intensive industries. Some provinces had been warned that they were falling behind their targets and were urged to increase efforts to meet their environmental goals this year – leading some to enforce shutdowns at critical
manufacturing sites, AgriCensus wrote. Dozens of factories in industrial centres, such as Jiangsu, Tianjin and Zhejiang, had been ordered to cut or halt their operations, including some major soyabean crushing plants, according to industry sources and local media. Local media reports said crushing plants operated by LDC, Beijing Grain Group and Jiusan had issued urgent notices on 22 September to halt operations due to power rationing, AgriCensus said. www.ofimagazine.com
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