TOKYO -- Japanese restaurants and retailers are adding plant-based meat substitutes to their offerings, hoping to tap growing consumer interest in healthy and sustainable food even as prices for soybeans -- a key ingredient -- rise.
The international market price for soybean futures is at around $14 to $15 per bushel -- 1.5 times higher than in 2020 due to increasing demand in China and supply disruptions after Russia invaded Ukraine. Japan relies on imports for 93% of its soybean needs, according to Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries data for 2021.
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