At the 2025 AVE Asia-Pacific Vegetarian Expo on August 28, Nicole Wu, Executive Director of ProVeg China (ProVeg International), was invited to join a roundtable forum titled “Breakthrough Thinking to Drive Plant-Based Industry Transformation.” Together with guests from food companies, research institutions, and the vegetarian culture sector, she explored future opportunities for plant-based foods in China.
Three Insights for a Fresh Perspective
In her remarks, Nicole Wu put forward three recommendations to help drive breakthrough growth in China’s plant-based sector:
1️⃣ Guided by the “Big Food” Concept, adopt a market-oriented mindset to strengthen collaboration across industry, academia, and research.
Through closer collaboration across industry, academia, and research—aligning academic research, corporate R&D, and market practice within a coordinated innovation model—the sector can jointly develop plant-based products that meet consumer taste preferences while supporting health. This approach helps ensure innovation translates into real-world applications and responds effectively to market demand.
2️⃣ Taste and health are the core competitive advantages.
Taste and health are the factors Chinese consumers are most willing to pay for. At the same time, it is important to address concerns about “too many additives” and “over-processing” in a positive and transparent way, while highlighting the strengths of plant-based foods as natural and reassuring choices.
3️⃣ Focus on flexitarians.
Flexitarians represent the most promising consumer group. By offering convenient options and positive experiences, the industry can encourage them to try plant-based products more often—helping healthier and more sustainable eating habits gradually become part of everyday life.
First Release: “2025 Plant-Based Industry Growth Report”
As a strategic partner of the expo, ProVeg China worked with multiple partners to release the 2025 Plant-Based Industry Growth Report at the AVE Asia-Pacific Vegetarian Expo. The report summarises the latest trends in both global and Chinese markets and provides forward-looking insights for companies, investors, and industry practitioners.
