Protein Transition in Asia and its Sociological Interpretation

Abstract The transformation of dietary habits and food systems is indispensable for the sustainability transition. ‘Protein transition’ involves the possible consumption shift from animal-based to plant-based products, which has become an increasingly powerful discourse in Western societies. However, it remains unclear how non-Western societies, including Asia, are or should be reacting to this new dietary normative argument. To gain a perspective on the future acceptance of protein transition in Asia, particularly East Asia, I discuss three previously underestimated issues in this article. First, I scrutinise the international discourse of protein transition using the EAT-Lancet Report published in 2019 and identify that Asia is currently interpreted both as an anomalous and a successful case in achieving protein transition. Second, I analyse the level of protein consumption in Asia, using global and national statistics to examine the validity of such an assumption. Contrary to Western discourse, East Asian countries have been increasing their meat consumption at a notable rate, and some countries, such as Taiwan and South Korea, have already surpassed the meat consumption in Western Europe. Far from being a successful case, East Asia also needs to respond to protein transition as an imminent issue. Third, I mobilise sociological theories to better understand the nature of protein transition, describing how the current discrepancy between dietary norms and practices regarding protein transition in Asia is a consequence of ‘compressed food modernity’. Asia is not anomalous; rather, it has the potential to have universal implications for other non-Western countries experiencing compressed modernisation.