(Yicai Global) Dec. 11 -- Nestle has kicked off its first plant-based meat product factory in Asia to tap into the new food trend.

The plant in northeastern China's Tianjin will churn out Nestle's Harvest Gourmet-branded products, the Vevey-headquartered multinational said in a statement on Dec. 9.

In May, the Swill company invested CNY730 million (USD111.7 million) to build four projects in Tianjin, including the above-mentioned production line which should make 8,000 tons of artificial meat products a year.

Several food giants are expanding their offerings to plant-based meats in China to tap into the burgeoning demand. Starbucks unveiled its fake meat lasagna in April and KFC began selling vegan chicken nuggets the same month. In September, Beyond Meat said it will build two plant-based meat substitute factories in eastern Zhejiang province, ready next year.

The first Harvest Gourmet products sold in China will be based on traditional Chinese dishes such as spicy hot pot and braised meatballs in brown gravy. Consumers can find the products on Harvest Gourmet’s Tmall store and Alibaba's Hema Fresh grocery stores for as little as CNY29 (USD4.40) a parcel, starting this month. The factory will also supply restaurants and coffee shops with veggie patties for burgers.

Editor: Emmi Laine