Australian company is the first to make a vegan Wagyu beef out of tofu – but meat farmers are FAR from impressed
- Farmers are up in arms over labelling of new fake meat product 'Wagyu Beef'
- A new plant-based product is being sold using the name, which is usually only reserved for a high-end cut of beef which comes from Japanese bred cattle
- The Australian Wagyu Association says its 'nonsensical' to market it this way
Australian manufacturers have become the first to make a vegan version of the famous Wagyu beef.
Sydney-based food company JAT Oppenheimer makes the product out of tofu and are soon hoping to stock it in supermarkets around Australia under the brand name 'V Meat'.
However, beef producers are frustrated the vegan product is allowed to use the 'Wagyu' label as part of its marketing.
A joint venture between two Australian-listed companies have released a line of plant-based 'Wagyu Beef' into Asian supermarkets
However, the company's managing director Wilton Yao, didn't see the problem, and told Daily Mail Australia all the products in their vegan Wagyu were from Australia.
'Most of the products are from different suppliers in Australia: in Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales,' he said. The product is made using soy-based and wheat proteins, pea fibres and wheat proteins out of Australia.
'They're hoping to get the products into Australia's major supermarket chains, but haven't got a timeline yet.'
'We are in discussion with a few local distributors in Australia such as Woolworths, Coles and Aldi. To get not just the Wagyu beef into stores, but we also have other products like meatballs and burgers,' he said.
Australian manufacturers have launched a new fake meat product, which is masquerading as a style of beef produced only from a certain breed of cattle
He said the product was similar to Wagyu beef because of its 'more chewable' and has a distinctive smell like meat.
Wagyu is branded as such because it's been harvested from Japanese-bred cattle with a trademark marbling or fat throughout the meat.
A single wagyu steak can cost up to $100 depending on quality.
That's why some beef producers are unhappy the company is using the name to sell a vegan product.
The Australian Wagyu Association's Chief Executive Matt McDonagh told Daily Mail Australia it's offensive to farmers to advertise the fake meat as 'Wagyu'.
'Fake Wagyu is just nonsensical, Wagyu is natural and the result of hundreds of years of purity in breeding - what is the point of trying to produce a highly manufactured and and artificial ingredient fake?' he said.
But the cut of meat is typically branded as such because it's been harvested from Japanese-bred cattle with a trademark marbling or fat throughout the cut of meat
'People choose to eat Wagyu because of the integrity and unique luxury qualities of the product.'
Australian farmers are at war with the labelling of plant-based products with meat titles.
They want a ban on words such as 'milk', 'seafood' and 'meat' over products which have no connection to the original products.
Minister for Agriculture Bridget McKenzie wants to see products rebranded to 'protect' Australian farmers.
The name is so well known it can command prices up to $100 or more for a steak, due to its prestige in the market
