I don't understand the point of "fake meat" burgers. Like, there are so many good recipes and ingredients out there that don't try to mimic meat and are still good and tasty. Look at Indian food, for instance. They sure found a way to make pulses and other humble ingredients tasty and delicious. Or the many Mediterranean dishes that just happen to be vegan or vegetarian, but are meatless because they simply were good enough like that.
I think fake meat wasn't really about "getting people to eat less meat", it was based on the expectation that the average person only wants to eat the same exact thing they ever did without ever widening their culinary horizons. The only problem is, that a person that's open enough to try fake meat is probably open minded enough to try new things in general, including foods that aren't served between two slices of bread.
The people that stubbornly refuse to vary their diets often won't try new stuff anyway
drob518 · 20m ago
I agree. If you want to eat meat, fine. If you don’t want to eat meat, fine. But the whole, “Let’s trick our taste buds and eat fake meat,” thing doesn’t make much sense to me.
enjeyw · 1h ago
About 10 years ago I became more aware that reducing my consumption of meat was good for the world. The was good for Beyond Meat’s prospects.
About 5 years ago I became more aware that reducing my consumption of ultra processed food was good for me. This was very bad for Beyond Meat’s prospects.
I suspect this experience generalizes.
legitster · 1h ago
Beyond developed a novelty product that focused entirely on the aesthetics of meat. But let's be real. Their products taste like crap and them scaling up with that awful recipe was never going to work.
The reaper is coming for Impossible soon, but at least in the tiniest possible way, they at least kinda taste like meat.
Regardless, this whole industry is built on hype. It's never going to be cheaper, healthier, or tastier than just a simple black bean burger.
mikequinlan · 1h ago
Beyond Meat Denies Filing For Bankruptcy In New Statement
One commentator in that discussion pointed out Beyond Meat has not actually declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. (It just may or may not be true that Beyond Meat is "headed" there, leading the commenter to complain "This isn't a news article, it's an opinion from some journalist who thinks Beyond Meat is doomed...")
Finnucane · 1h ago
They not only have to compete against direct competitors such as Impossible Burger, but tofu, seitan, and an array of already-established meat-substitute products. Which perhaps don't mimic meat quite as well as the new products, but are typically less expensive. The new products just cost too much for everyday use.
qalmakka · 1h ago
Yeah it's not like burgers have the monopoly of delicious food. There are so many good foods out there, people have been eating mostly plant based foods in both the Mediterranean and India for thousands of years. There are literally thousands of recipes from multiple cuisines around the world that don't have meat in them
I think fake meat wasn't really about "getting people to eat less meat", it was based on the expectation that the average person only wants to eat the same exact thing they ever did without ever widening their culinary horizons. The only problem is, that a person that's open enough to try fake meat is probably open minded enough to try new things in general, including foods that aren't served between two slices of bread.
The people that stubbornly refuse to vary their diets often won't try new stuff anyway
About 5 years ago I became more aware that reducing my consumption of ultra processed food was good for me. This was very bad for Beyond Meat’s prospects.
I suspect this experience generalizes.
The reaper is coming for Impossible soon, but at least in the tiniest possible way, they at least kinda taste like meat.
Regardless, this whole industry is built on hype. It's never going to be cheaper, healthier, or tastier than just a simple black bean burger.
https://plantbasednews.org/news/economics/beyond-meat-denies...
No comments yet
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44860477
One commentator in that discussion pointed out Beyond Meat has not actually declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. (It just may or may not be true that Beyond Meat is "headed" there, leading the commenter to complain "This isn't a news article, it's an opinion from some journalist who thinks Beyond Meat is doomed...")