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As demand for meat substitutes grows in China, the national standard for plant-based meat, or meat substitute, is being formulated, an official said.

At the conference of the China Association for Science and Technology on Friday, Wang Shouwei, director of China Meat Food Research Center, said that the national standard for plant-based meat substitutes is being formulated, according to media reports on Saturday. Wang noted that there's no timetable for the launch of the standard.

According to the China Meat Food Research Center, plant protein meat is a synonym for food that is not naturally produced and has a similar taste to meat.

Industry analysts believe that meat substitutes could effectively ensure food supplies and give consumers more choices.

Cultured meat and meat substitutes have the potential to "disrupt the multibillion-dollar global meat industry". The substitutes are expected to take up a share of 60 percent of the market by 2040, according to a report from US-based consulting firm AT Kearney.

Gao Guan, deputy secretary-general of the China Meat Association, told the Global Times that the mass production of meat substitutes has market potential as meat prices are rising because of African swine fever and broader public preferences for food.

"Also, as more and more people embrace vegetarianism, artificial meat can be a transition choice going from meat to a vegetarian diet," Gao said.

The global market for meat substitutes is expected to exceed $5 billion this year, rising to $6 billion by 2022 and $6.43 billion by 2023, a report by research firm MarketsandMarkets said. The meat substitute market in the Asia-Pacific region is growing at the fastest pace, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 8 percent, the report said.

Gao said that the national standard for substitute meat is still at the discussion phase because these products are totally different from meat.