During the pandemic, plant-based meat consumption and media coverage exploded. Now, a host of trend pieces decry its demise. That shift is no organic accident.
While I’m sure the meat industry/lobbying has made sure people knew about the drawbacks of plant based meat I think there’s several legitimate reasons it hasn’t taken off yet. It’s firmly stuck in the middle.
When compared to animal based meat plant based meat is:
more expensive
not hardly any healthier
doesn’t taste as good
When compared to more traditional plant based protein, plant based meat it is:
more expensive
much less healthy
doesn’t taste as good
The only benefit of plant based meat is that it’s more environmentally friendly than traditional meat.
That’s something that most people don’t care to pay more for.
I hope R&D continues into plant-based meat as I do think that once the cost comes down below animal-based meat it will see wide adoption. Especially because the price of animal-based meat will continue to rise.
The only reason it’s so much more expensive than animal-based meats is because of the amount of subsidies the meat industry gets. Actually, now that I think about it, all of the major pillars of the US agricultural industry, whether it be meat, corn, or dairy, are upheld by subsidies.
I haven’t really gotten into Impossible or Beyond. I’ve tried them both but they just don’t seem worth the cost or calories. Boca on the other hand make a hell of a plant based burger.
once the cost comes down below animal-based meat it will see wide adoption
oh yeah, absolutely. the nanosecond it becomes cheaper is the moment McDonald’s and all the other large corporate fast food places make the switch. taste or anything else is secondary to shareholder profits anyways (which in this case is a good thing at least)
Taco Bell has “bulked up” their ground beef with soy for years IIRC. Nobody noticed, because their seasoning and actual beef flavor were strong enough to cover.
My problem with Impossible/Beyond is neither is nearly as good as real beef flavor, and I’m saying this as somebody who was vegetarian for over a decade. Boca and Morningstar were my favorites back when I didn’t eat meat, and I still buy the Morningstar breakfast patties because I like them better than greasy meat patties to start my day.
I’ve bought impossible burgers and real burgers before and really struggled to taste the difference.
unfortunately I fall into the lucky few who get extreme stomach pain, cramps, nausea and like over a day of horrific diarrhea from Impossible meat, So that basically means I’ll never eat it again, and also be incredibly unlikely to try any others.
Took me 3 times before I noticed the pattern and started poking around online about it, to find I wasnt alone.
I would say you should change “not hardly any healthier” to “much less healthy”. There are definite gotchas for eating anything in excess, but real meat (let’s say beef, since that’s the popular discussion point) is one of the most nutrition-rich foods you can possibly eat, with the most important nutrients that are hard to get elsewhere effectively. The Impossible Burger (probably the least unhealthy plant burger) might compete with an 80/20 burger (depending on what metrics you use for health), but a 90/10 burger SORTA blows it out of the water except a few random added minerals you just get in your morning multivitamin.
The only benefit of plant based meat is that it’s more environmentally friendly than traditional meat.
I’m going to use OP’s tact and suggest that this is not strictly true either. It took me years of not understanding how the meat industry worked differently from the farms I grew up near, only to realize it DOESN’T work that much differently from the farms I grew up near at all. This video is a great resource by a neutral person (no bias towards or against meat or veganism) who did the research himself. There are still arguments that stand about meat being environmentally unfriendly, but just as many arguments to the contrary.
While I’m sure the meat industry/lobbying has made sure people knew about the drawbacks of plant based meat I think there’s several legitimate reasons it hasn’t taken off yet. It’s firmly stuck in the middle.
When compared to animal based meat plant based meat is:
When compared to more traditional plant based protein, plant based meat it is:
The only benefit of plant based meat is that it’s more environmentally friendly than traditional meat.
That’s something that most people don’t care to pay more for.
I hope R&D continues into plant-based meat as I do think that once the cost comes down below animal-based meat it will see wide adoption. Especially because the price of animal-based meat will continue to rise.
The only reason it’s so much more expensive than animal-based meats is because of the amount of subsidies the meat industry gets. Actually, now that I think about it, all of the major pillars of the US agricultural industry, whether it be meat, corn, or dairy, are upheld by subsidies.
I agree, it’s also why tobacco in the US is quite cheap even though the health effects are well documented.
That doesn’t change the reality of playing field that plant-based meat has to play in currently.
If the environmental costs of producing it were added as taxes to meat, its price would skyrocket. Related link.
Now hold on just a minute!
Plant based meat is expensive and unhealthy, but I’ll be damned if I let you besmirch my junk food!
Haha my bad my bad.
In Canada, A&W’s “Beyond Burger” is actually even better tasting than a regular meat burger imo.
I haven’t really gotten into Impossible or Beyond. I’ve tried them both but they just don’t seem worth the cost or calories. Boca on the other hand make a hell of a plant based burger.
I went through all of the fancy imitation burgers, and ended up deciding that good ol Boca is better. It doesn’t hurt that it costs so much less.
oh yeah, absolutely. the nanosecond it becomes cheaper is the moment McDonald’s and all the other large corporate fast food places make the switch. taste or anything else is secondary to shareholder profits anyways (which in this case is a good thing at least)
Taco Bell has “bulked up” their ground beef with soy for years IIRC. Nobody noticed, because their seasoning and actual beef flavor were strong enough to cover.
My problem with Impossible/Beyond is neither is nearly as good as real beef flavor, and I’m saying this as somebody who was vegetarian for over a decade. Boca and Morningstar were my favorites back when I didn’t eat meat, and I still buy the Morningstar breakfast patties because I like them better than greasy meat patties to start my day.
I’ve bought impossible burgers and real burgers before and really struggled to taste the difference.
unfortunately I fall into the lucky few who get extreme stomach pain, cramps, nausea and like over a day of horrific diarrhea from Impossible meat, So that basically means I’ll never eat it again, and also be incredibly unlikely to try any others.
Took me 3 times before I noticed the pattern and started poking around online about it, to find I wasnt alone.
I wouldn’t say nobody noticed.
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What is “plant-based meat” vs “traditional plant-based protein”? Like, which things are in which categories? Tofu? Beans? Seitan? Peanut butter?
Plant-based meat are products that try to emulate real meat like Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods.
Plant based protein would be everything you just listed.
I would say you should change “not hardly any healthier” to “much less healthy”. There are definite gotchas for eating anything in excess, but real meat (let’s say beef, since that’s the popular discussion point) is one of the most nutrition-rich foods you can possibly eat, with the most important nutrients that are hard to get elsewhere effectively. The Impossible Burger (probably the least unhealthy plant burger) might compete with an 80/20 burger (depending on what metrics you use for health), but a 90/10 burger SORTA blows it out of the water except a few random added minerals you just get in your morning multivitamin.
I’m going to use OP’s tact and suggest that this is not strictly true either. It took me years of not understanding how the meat industry worked differently from the farms I grew up near, only to realize it DOESN’T work that much differently from the farms I grew up near at all. This video is a great resource by a neutral person (no bias towards or against meat or veganism) who did the research himself. There are still arguments that stand about meat being environmentally unfriendly, but just as many arguments to the contrary.