UNDER THE EPIDEMIC, MORE AND MORE JAPANESE PEOPLE ARE EATING AT HOME, AND MEAT SUBSTITUTES MAINLY BASED ON SOY AND PLANT-BASED PROTEINS ARE CURRENTLY IN HIGH DEMAND.THE JAPAN TIMES REPORTED ON THE 27TH THAT THE JAPANESE MEAT SUBSTITUTE MARKET IS CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING A SALES BOOM, WITH MULTIPLE FOOD PRODUCERS SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY TO LAUNCH MORE MEAT SUBSTITUTES. FOR EXAMPLE, FOOD PROCESSING GIANT NIPPON HAM FOODS LAUNCHED FIVE SAUSAGES MADE FROM SOYBEANS, KONJAC, AND OTHER INGREDIENTS IN MARCH; FAST FOOD CHAIN "MOS FOODS" STARTED SELLING A SANDWICH IN MAY THAT MAINLY CONSISTS OF VEGETABLES AND GRAINS, WITHOUT DAIRY OR OTHER ANIMAL PRODUCTS; A LARGE MISO PRODUCER SELLS A DRIED CRUSHED BEAN AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR MINCED MEAT IN COOKING.ACCORDING TO DATA FROM MARKET RESEARCH FIRM SEED PLAN, SALES OF PLANT-BASED MEAT SUBSTITUTES IN JAPAN ARE EXPECTED TO INCREASE TO 34.6 BILLION YEN (APPROXIMATELY 2.23 BILLION YUAN) THIS YEAR, AND ARE PROJECTED TO REACH 78 BILLION YEN (5.02 BILLION YUAN) BY 2030.THE JAPAN TIMES, CITING MULTIPLE INDUSTRY SOURCES, REPORTED THAT SOME MEAT SUBSTITUTES BEGAN TO ATTRACT CONSUMER ATTENTION AROUND LAST YEAR. THESE PRODUCTS ARE MADE FROM DEFATTED SOYBEANS PROCESSED UNDER HIGH TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE, AND THEN ADDED WITH WATER AND OTHER RAW MATERIALS. THEY ARE RICH IN FIBER, LOW-FAT, AND HAVE A MEAT LIKE TASTE, MAKING THEM POPULAR AMONG DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PEOPLE. SINCE THE OUTBREAK OF THE EPIDEMIC THIS YEAR, MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DINE OUT, EITHER COOKING AT HOME OR ORDERING TAKEOUT FOOD. IN ADDITION, PEOPLE ARE INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT HEALTHY EATING AND THE IMPACT OF MEAT PRODUCTION ON THE ENVIRONMENT, WHICH HAS BOOSTED THE POPULARITY OF MEAT SUBSTITUTES IN JAPAN.