BANGKOK – Tyson Foods Inc. launched a new line of plant-based products in Asia for the first time. The frozen Bites, Nuggets and Strips made with plants will be sold in Malaysia under the First Pride brand. The products are halal certified and made with regionally sourced ingredients including bamboo fiber, soy protein and wheat protein.

“We’re thrilled to offer Asia Pacific consumers more high-quality protein choices as they explore flexitarian diets,” said Tan Sun, president, Tyson Foods APAC. “The Asian market is a natural fit for this category with traditional plant-based products like tofu already entrenched in the culture.

“The key to meeting consumer preferences with new plant-based protein is through innovation and making locally relevant products that taste great, which is our expertise,” he said.

The company is initially launching the products in Malaysia and will roll them out to other markets in the region in the coming months. Flavor and package size availability will vary by country and will be priced competitively, Tyson said. Products available in Malaysia will come in 420-gram bags priced at RM19.90 ($4.81). The products will initially be available in retail stores, but the company said there are plans to offer First Pride to foodservice customers in the region later this year.

“We’re excited to expand our internal capabilities globally as we build our portfolio of loved plant protein brands,” said David Ervin, vice president of alternative protein for Tyson Foods. “Our global culinary network and scalability positions us well to replicate the success we’ve had in the US in Asia Pacific and provide consumers with great tasting plant protein options.”

Alternative proteins could account for 11% of the global protein market by 2035, according to a March report by Boston Consulting Group. The category in Asia is still growing, however APAC retail sales of meat substitutes reached $16.3 billion in 2020 and are expected to exceed $20 billion by 2025, according to Euromonitor.