The growing demand for vegetable meat is leading to an unprecedented rise in the price of pea protein in Ukraine

The growth in consumer demand for vegetable meat substitutes is leading to an unprecedented rise in the market for pea protein: pea protein prices rose by 120% over the year. By comparison, traditional pork and cattle in the United States added 10% to the year, and chicken added 6%. Canada, the world's largest producer of pea protein, is trying to keep up with growing demand. But in drought conditions, production fell by as much as 45%. Consumers are turning to flexitarism en masse, with about 42% of them worldwide already becoming "part-time vegans" - that is, those who eat only plant foods for part of the day. Puris, a pea protein maker that is also a supplier to burger giant Beyond Meat, says it has its advantages in drought. Puris is developing innovative seeds that can withstand harsh climatic conditions. Tyler Lorenzen, CEO of Puris, says it has been a "difficult year" for US manufacturers - due to COVID-19, a historic drought and "other unprecedented ...