Meatless Meat

Florida Successfully Defends Lab-Grown Meat Ban in Court

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:24:11 GMT

A federal appeals court ruled that Florida, the first state to ban lab-grown meat, can continue to enforce state law SB 1084, keeping the state’s restrictions fully in place.

The March 23 ruling from a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the ban does not conflict with federal regulations.

Upside Foods, a California company that was approved to make cultivated chicken for U.S. sale in 2022, brought the case forward. The company argued that federal oversight should override Florida’s restrictions, but the court disagreed.

“Because Florida’s ban on lab-grown meat does not regulate Upside’s ingredients, premises, facilities, or operations, federal law does not preempt SB 1084,” wrote Circuit Judge Andrew Brasher, as reported by the Florida Phoenix .

SB 1084, which took effect in July 2024, bans the manufacture, sale and distribution of cultivated meat. Six other states — Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska and Texas — have enacted similar bans since Florida took action.

Florida leaders who backed the ban celebrated the ruling. CBS 12 reports that Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said it protects traditional farmers and argued that lab-grown meat isn’t proven safe. Gov. Ron DeSantis also praised the decision, saying lab-grown meat won’t be allowed in Florida.

Cultivated meat supporters say these bans block a growing industry, eliminate future jobs, and shut down marketplace competition before the products can gain a foothold, CBS 12 reports.

Signed by DeSantis in 2024 to support traditional agriculture, the state law makes violations punishable by up to 60 days in jail.

“Take your fake lab-grown meat elsewhere,” DeSantis said in Food Safety News in 2024. “We are not doing that in the State of Florida.”

Pig Fat Cell Production Could Transform Lab-Grown Meat

Fri, 30 May 2025 14:33:22 GMT

Lab-grown fat cells offer promise for cultivated meat, according to research from The Roslin Institute . A source of fat cells from pigs has been developed in the lab that offers scientists and food manufacturers a promising tool for the large-scale production of cultivated meat without the need for genetic modification.

“We didn’t simply develop a tool, we made a very special discovery,” says Tom Thrower, lead researcher at The Roslin Institute. “The fact that these cells not only grow indefinitely but also retain their ability to become fat at such high efficiency is something we have never seen before in livestock stem cells. It opens the door to new possibilities in cultivated meat and beyond.”

Researchers say the development could address the challenge of generating realistic, sustainable animal fat — a significant hurdle in the cultivated meat industry as the new cells are capable of efficiently producing fat tissue with consistency.

Stem cells turning into fat cells over a span of 40 days. Accumulated fat is shown in green.

(The Roslin Institute)

“The cells, known as FaTTy, are formed from early-stage stem cells which develop into fat and can grow indefinitely in the lab without losing the ability to reliably produce fat cells,” the Roslin Institute reports. “In contrast, most animal stem cells quickly lose this capability, making large-scale use impractical.”

This helps meet the need for fat as a key component in delivering the flavor and texture consumers expect from meat, the article says.

Researchers grew stem cells derived from five piglets and discovered cells from one of the piglets was able to reproduce hundreds of times without the need for gene editing. The results also showed that the fat produced closely resembled native pig fat in its composition, with slightly higher levels of healthier monounsaturated fats.

“These fat cells have the potential to be a game-changer in the field of cultivated meat and will help make this a reality in the very near future,” says Xavier Donadeu, principal investigator at The Roslin Institute.

This research was published in NPJ Science of Food .

Your Next Read: Will New Pork Campaign and Market Conditions Revive Domestic Demand?

Nebraska Legislators Speak Out Against Lab-Grown Meat

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 18:19:51 GMT

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and state senators are introducing legislation to protect consumers, grow agriculture and defend agriculture. One of those efforts is to keep lab-grown meat from being manufactured, distributed or sold in Nebraska.

Sen. Barry DeKay introduced a bill that defines “cultivated food protein” and requires those products to be labeled “adulterated food products” under the Pure Food Act, a release said.

“There are clear, recognized benefits of meat as a source of protein. It is uncertain whether manufactured meat protein is a substitute for natural meat sources as essential dietary needs. I question elevating lab meat to a level of equivalency with real meat,“ DeKay explained.

Unless there are clear labeling rules that adequately disclose that cultured meat is not real meat, DeKay said its sale allows lab meats to unfairly benefit from industry investments in marketing and production.

“What’s more, this industry is supported by organizations that want to do away with animal production in Nebraska and the United States,” DeKay added. “This is part of the process that we’re going to go through to make sure our way of life, our livestock, and our product that we can put on the dinner table stays intact going forward.”

As the first farmer-governor in more than 100 years, Pillen said he knows how important it is that agriculturists take steps to preserve their way of life, for the benefit of those who consume their products.

“We feed the world and save the planet,” Pillen said. “It’s important we get on the offense so that Nebraska farmers and ranchers are not undermined. Our job is to protect consumers, grow agriculture and defend agriculture. Most of us want government out of our hair, but there are places where government needs to step in and protect us.”

Your Next Read: Legislation Restricting Sales of Lab-Grown Meat Has Strong Bipartisan Support

FDA Releases Draft Guidance for Labeling Plant-Based Animal-Derived Foods

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 18:24:03 GMT

On Monday, Jan. 6, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a draft guidance on labeling plant-based foods that are marketed and sold as alternatives to conventional animal products and a public comment period is open.

“Because definitions and standards of identity have not been established for plant-based alternatives, these foods are non-standardized foods and must be labeled with their common or usual names, or in the absence thereof, a statement of identity that accurately describes the food,” according to the draft guidelines.

According to the FDA, consumer demand for plant-based alternatives to animal products including eggs, seafood, poultry, meat, and dairy has increased over time. The total U.S. retail plant-based food dollar sales grew from $5.5 billion in 2019 to $8.1 billion in 2023.

“Consumers should be able to easily see and determine the particular plant source when looking at the name of the food on the label,” the document says.

Currently there are no established guidelines for labeling plant-based alternative meat products and the draft of the guidelines aims to answer several questions including:

What should be included in the statement of identity for a plant-based alternative food that also includes the name of a food that has an established definition and standard of identity (e.g., “cheddar cheese”)?
What are important considerations when using “plant-based [animal derived food]” (e.g., “plant-based fish nuggets,” “plant-based sausage,” etc.) as part of the name for plant-based alternative foods?
How should plant-based alternative foods that are blends of different plant sources be labeled?
What are important considerations when using “[animal or meat]-free” or “non[animal or meat]” in the labeling of plant-based alternative foods?
What are important considerations when using a modified spelling, such as Chik’N, Be’f, Cheeze, as a name for plant-based alternative foods?
How should the statement of identity appear on the label?
What are important considerations when labeling plant-based alternative foods as “vegan” or “meat-free”?
Can vignettes or other statements be used to convey characterizing flavors?

Public comments are being accepted through May 5, 2025. Use this link to review document and comment.

Your next read: GOP to Propose ‘Biggest Bill in American History'; Includes Tax Cuts, Deregulation and Border Security

Legislation Restricting Sales of Lab-Grown Meat Has Strong Bipartisan Support

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 13:43:47 GMT

A majority of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents support legislation mandating “lab-grown meat” labeling and other restrictions according to new polling released by the Center for the Environment and Welfare (CEW).

With Florida and Alabama having already passed laws banning the sale and manufacture of the product, and Iowa passing labeling restrictions and banning lab meat from school lunch programs, lab-grown meat is at the forefront of national conversation.

Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Jon Tester (D-MT) have also introduced federal legislation to ban lab-grown meat from school cafeterias.

Poll highlights include:
• 58% of total respondents (62% Republican, 55% Independent, 56% Democrat) support legislation to restrict the sale of lab-grown meat
• 63% of total respondents (70% Republican, 61% Independent, 59% Democrat) oppose lab-grown meat in school lunch programs
• 75% of Republicans, 67% of Independents, and 60% of Democrats would not be willing to include lab-grown meat in their diet

The complete poll is available here.

Iowa Third State to Create Legislation Regarding Lab-Grown Meat

Tue, 21 May 2024 14:15:35 GMT

In an effort to maintain trust with consumers and protect livestock producers, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds recently signed into law SF 2391 , a bill prohibiting the misbranding of certain food products, including lab-grown meat.

Beginning July 1, lab-grown meat and plant-based imitation meat and egg products will have to be labeled with words such as fake, lab-grown, meatless, imitation or vegan, if sold in Iowa stores. The labeling requirements also apply to meat alternatives made with insect protein.

Gov. Reynolds shared her response to signing SF 2391.

“This legislation prohibits companies from exploiting the trust consumers have with our livestock producers and misleading consumers into buying products they don’t want,” she says. “This is about transparency. It’s about the common-sense idea that a product labeled chicken, beef, or pork, should actually come from an animal.”

Rep. Heather Hora, R-Washington, sponsored the bill in the House. As a pork producer herself, she says the bill protects farmers’ checkoff dollars that are used to market meat and eggs.

According to an Iowa Public Radio (IPR) article, the law will require the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing to inspect food processing plants or grocery stores for compliance if they receive a credible complaint about food products being mislabeled as meat. The law also provides penalties for not following labeling rules.

Furthermore, the law prohibits school districts, community colleges and public universities in Iowa from purchasing lab-grown meat and any foods misbranded as meat or egg products. In addition, the law requires the state to request a federal waiver to prohibit the use of federal food assistance to buy imitation egg products.

While many praised the legislation, some Democrats said their issue was with the purchase of egg alternatives.

IPR reported Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, says he was proud to vote for the original version of the bill but had concerns with the final version.

“Truth in labeling is certainly something that I strongly believe in for consumer protection,” he says. “But I’m also concerned with consumer nutrition. And there are some people who can’t eat eggs because of allergies but still need the nutritive content that might be supplied by alternative products.”

That same day, Gov. Reynolds signed HF 2649 , a bill providing capital gains relief for farmers and ranchers selling certain classes of livestock. This was a bill to reinstate previous tax break exemptions that had ended in 2022.

“Our tax code should promote livestock production, which we know is often how beginning farmers get their start in agriculture,” says Rep. Derek Wulf, R-Hudson, who co-sponsored the bill. “We know that livestock production supports rural communities and drives our rural economic activity…We want to make sure that we don’t increase taxes on our livestock producers and farmers here in this state.”

Continued legislation against lab-grown meat

Iowa becomes the third state in the country to pass legislation regarding lab-grown meat. Florida and Alabama both passed laws banning the sale of the cell cultured alternative meat product in their states this month. Florida’s law was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 1, 2024, and Alabama’s Gov. Kay Ivey signed the Alabama Bill , which the prohibits “the manufacture, sale, or distribution of food products made from cultured animal cells,” on May 7.

Jack Hubbard, executive director of the Center for the Environment and Welfare, shares that consumers have several concerns in the matters of cell cultured meat.

“Policymakers nationwide are grappling with growing consumer concern regarding lab-grown meat’s use of immortalized cells, bioreactors, chemicals and the lack of long-term health studies,” Hubbard says. “I think a lot of this legislative activity is politicians and elected representatives voicing and acting on the concerns of constituents who are saying ‘what is this stuff and have we done our due diligence.’ And to be frank, there is a major yuck factor that a lot of people have when they actually learn about how this is made.”

Hubbard see additional states likely following suit in creating legislation.

“From a transparency perspective, it just seems like the right thing that consumers ought to have a right to know what they’re buying,” he says.

Read more...
North American Cattle Groups Advocates for Oversight of Lab-Grown Proteins

Plant-Based Meat Analogues Aren't Better for Your Heart, Study Says

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 19:26:36 GMT

A new study debunks plant-based meat analogue product claims to be healthier for your diet than real meat.

Researchers in Singapore published their findings in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , comparing the effects of diets based on plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) and traditional animal-based meats. The 8-week, randomized controlled trial study looked specifically at levels of cholesterol and blood sugar in Singaporeans at risk for type 2 diabetes. Researchers found no significant changes in cholesterol profiles for either diet, though both diets were linked to improvements in some blood sugar markers.

“Despite the emergence of PBMAs as a source of alternative protein foods within the global food system, the results of the current study do not substantiate superior cardiometabolic health benefits of PBMDs compared to an omnivorous diet composed of animal-based meats,” researchers wrote.

With no clear advantage of one diet over the other in improving heart health, researchers suggest that plant-based diet benefits may not be applicable to PBMAs.

Researchers encouraged the food industry to re-evaluate the production of next generation PBMAs with improved nutritional attributes and bioaccessibility.

Read More:

Is There Room at the Table for Meat and Alternative Proteins?

Climate and Tech Expected to Affect Ag Most This Year

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 19:43:28 GMT

Farm Journal’s Smart Farming Week is an annual week-long emphasis on innovation in agriculture. The goal is to encourage you to explore and prioritize the technology, tools and practices that will help you farm smarter. Innovation today ensures an efficient, productive and sustainable tomorrow.

Every year before the ball drops in Times Square, it seems everyone wants to pull out a crystal ball and prophesize what the new year will bring. And the ag industry loves a good prophet.

Before 2023 became history, Forbes Magazine took its shot at predicting agriculture’s highlights for 2024. So before Father Time turns the predictions stale, I thought it might be insightful, or at least entertaining, to provide some color commentary on the article, which focused on the following five areas where change in agriculture could be the greatest.

1. Farmland Holds the Key to Carbon Management
No different from last year or the prior year, agriculture has a bull’s-eye on its back when it comes to carbon intensity. According to the USDA Economic Research Service, U.S. agricultural operations are responsible for 10.6% of the nation’s overall greenhouse gas emissions. Climate scientists and Al Gore have told us this for years now. Expect the barrage of white papers and warnings to continue in 2024.

The good news, according to the pundits, is it will become increasingly clear this year that farmland is the key to carbon management. By default, nature has been seen as the most scalable way to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. What is becoming more obvious to those outside the sphere of agriculture is that farmland is the best place to store it.

Look to see more announcements at the consumer packaged goods level regarding programs and collaboration across industries and sectors to foster regenerative practices at the production level. Companies such as Walmart, PepsiCo and General Mills are seeking programs able to scale such practices across millions of acres.

2. Alternative Proteins Will Recover From Their Sophomore Slump
Last year, the stock market and the population’s tastes soured on meatless burgers and chickpea chicken nuggets. Beyond Meat’s market cap plummeted from an all-time high of $14.2 billion to just more than $500 million at the turn of this year.

But don’t count out the alternative protein industry yet. Those quoted in the Forbes article anticipate 2024 to be a renaissance year for animal-based product substitutes.

The reason for such renewed hope is a tactical marketing change adopted by the second wave of alternative protein startups. Instead of taking full-blown consumer-ready products direct to the grocery store shelf and the fast food drive-through lane, they are focusing on selling alternative protein products as ingredients.

For example, the Every Company is touting that “the world’s first liquid egg made without the hen” could replace real eggs in thousands of processed food items. Rue the day these eggs find their way into my favorite lemon meringue pie.

3. Forget Counting Calories. Count Carbon
A new diet seems to be on the table every new year. This year, paring down the amount of carbon in your life may be as important as limiting your calories. Just like requirements for disclosing calories through food labels, the social, political and regulatory environment is forcing food companies to be fully transparent about their carbon footprints.

Instead of carbon credits, experts say carbon insets are needed to move the climate needle. With recently passed climate disclosure legislation, such as California’s SB 253, expect more food companies looking to measure, report and reduce their carbon emissions.

This switch will put pressure on producers as food companies off-load the burden of carbon reduction on them. Look for additional emphasis on cutting methane emissions from livestock through innovative feeds and carbon-capture techniques and improving soil health through biotech innovation, data and artificial intelligence.

4. Technology Will Make Ag More Hip and Exciting
Agriculture has long been characterized in literature, and even nursery rhymes, as boring and depressing—think Grapes of Wrath and Old MacDonald Had a Farm. Well, technology is continuing to turn this industry on its head.

Specialty crop operations’ use of automation will grow quickly as ag labor shortages persist. Meanwhile, the food prep industry is transforming as food- and medicine-focused companies take root. Think HelloFresh and Blue Apron meet your medical dietician. Companies such as ModifyHealth are tailoring chef-inspired medical meals to support consumers’ specific health needs, and companies such as Farmer’s Fridge allow you to select a green goddess salad or Thai noodle bowl instead of a Snickers bar from a vending machine.

5. Capital Investment in Ag Will Be Even More Deliberate and Disciplined
Once viewed as the hot new space for disruption, the ag tech sector is now weeding out the venture capital investors who entered it with hopes of quick wins. That culling really started in earnest two years ago and is predicted to continue this year.

But all is not gloom and doom in the ag startup arena. Investors see the market stabilizing and valuations returning to more realistic levels. Quality companies that are scaling, have good economic fundamentals and growing customer demand will likely find the capital they are seeking in 2024, but expect no more free lunches.

So there you have it. This recaps the Forbes take on agriculture in the new year: climate, carbon, technology, money and a world with eggs but no chickens.

If you think that’s weird, then just wait. The year has only begun. In agriculture, nearly anything can happen. Just wait a day.

FDA Approves Lab-Grown Chicken for the First Time

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 20:57:22 GMT

The FDA approved lab-grown chicken for the first time, greenlighting products from startup Upside Foods for human consumption. If Upside gets USDA approval next, the company said it could start pumping out 50,000 pounds of “no-kill” meat products every year.

The news follows Upside’s April announcement that it had secured $400 million in Series C funding, moving the company “from R&D to commercialization,” according to CEO Uma Valeti.

“Our team...continues to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges in our mission to make our favorite food a force for good,” said Valeti.

Upside, with 140 employees, has now garnered over $600 million in funding from names like Bill Gates and meat companies Tyson and Cargill.

Brian Sikes, Cargill COO, stresses his team’s commitment to meatless meat:

“Our continued support for UPSIDE’s innovative work underscores Cargill’s commitment to an inclusive approach to wholesome, sustainable protein that will meet customer and consumer needs now and in the future.”

Meanwhile, Beyond Meat announced it would lay off 19% of staff last month, and retail sales in the plant-based meat industry overall have dropped 10% in the past year.

More on lab-grown meat :

Beyond Meat Faces Lawsuit Over False Protein Content and Quality Claims
Hoxton Farms Raises $22 Million for Cultivated Animal Fat

Hoxton Farms Raises $22 Million for Cultivated Animal Fat

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 17:44:40 GMT

By Juliette Portala

Editor’s note: The following article is provided as news about the alternative protein industry. It is not intended to be an endorsement or advocacy by either Drovers or Farm Journal.

London-based Hoxton Farms said on Thursday it had raised $22 million from investors to build a pilot plant to produce animal fat from stem cells, aiming to tap into the growing market for less carbon-intensive foods.

Many people in developed countries are looking to cut their consumption of traditional meat, but some find plant-based alternatives less satisfying to eat or cook with.

Hoxton Farms seeks to address the issue by producing animal fat from stem cells that can then be used as an ingredient in plant-based products.

“The result is not an alternative. It’s real fat tissue, just made in a different way,” co-founder Max Jamilly told Reuters.

“Coconut, sunflower, palm, and canola oil taste funky, degrade quickly, burn easily, melt inconsistently,” he said in a statement.

The Series A funding round was led by Collaborative Fund, an early backer of Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, and supported by Fidelity parent FMR LLC-affiliated Fine Structure Ventures.

The investment, which follows a small seed funding round last year, will be used to build Hoxton Farms’ pilot facility in London’s trendy Shoreditch area, and to expand headcount.

Growing demand for food supplies as the global population rises, coupled with climate change lowering production capacity, “means we’re heading for a food security crisis,” Jamilly said.

“Long term, it may be possible to feed the entire planetary population with plants alone,” he added. “But the reality is that’s not going to happen anytime soon.”

Sales of plant-based meat in western Europe rose 19% to a record 2.3 billion euros ($2.25 billion) in 2021, according to food sustainability NGO the Good Food Institute. However, sales stalled in the United States. ($1 = 1.0221 euros)

Reporting by Juliette Portala Editing by Simon Jessop and Mark Potter

Beyond Meat Faces Lawsuit Over False Protein Content and Quality Claims

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 17:47:54 GMT

Some “protein alternatives” manufactured by Beyond Meat, Inc., have been found to contain less protein than the company claims.

A complaint filed in the Southern District of Iowa accuses the company of misrepresenting protein in nine products. The plaintiffs argue that Beyond Meat, Inc., miscalculated and overstated the protein content and quality in nine separate products on their labeling, website, and promotional and marketing materials.

Additionally, the plaintiffs note the Beyond Meat, Inc., “misleads consumers into believing that the products provide equivalent nutritional benefits to that found in traditional meat-based products,” the court documents state .

When testing a product for protein content, the “Nitrogen Content Method” is most often used to determine the nitrogen content of the food. Additionally, Beyond Meat, Inc., products must be tested for quality through the Protein Digestibility Amino Acid Correct Score (PDCAAS), which labels the actual amount of digestible protein (in grams) per serving. The PDCAAS also leads to the Daily Reference Value stated as a percentage (DV%) on the product label.

The court documents explain that independent lab testing reveals the DV% of protein in all of the nine products is actually less than the DV% represented by Beyond Meat, Inc. For example, the Beyond Beef Plant-Based Ground 16 oz. Patties claim to have 20 grams of protein per serving and 40% DV. However, the product contains only 19 grams per serving and 7% DV.

The full product list and protein content has been provided.

The plaintiffs have sued the company under five causes of action, including:

• Violation Of The State Consumer Fraud Acts

• Violation Of Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act

• Breach of Express Warranty

• Breach of Implied Warranty

• Unjust Enrichment

The plaintiffs include three consumers from across the U.S. who have purchased Beyond Meat, Inc., products over the last several months. The plaintiffs also claim they would not have purchased the products at the premium price had they known the correct protein content.

Impossible Foods Cuts Faux Meat Prices By 20% At Grocery Stores

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 17:30:25 GMT

Feb 2 (Reuters) - Impossible Foods said on Tuesday it would cut the prices of its faux meat patties by 20% at U.S. grocery stores as the plant-based protein maker ramps up production with a larger plan to eventually undercut ground beef prices.

Impossible Foods, the maker of the plant-based Impossible Burger, and rival Beyond Meat Inc have been the leaders in plant-based alternatives over the past two years as consumers, worried about their health, environmental impact and animal welfare, look to broaden or shift from chicken, pork and beef-based diets.

Demand for plant-based meat also rose during the pandemic after beef and pork producers shut many meat plants to curb the rapid spread of the coronavirus outbreak. California-based Impossible Foods, which has already cut prices for food distributors twice in one year, said it would keep lowering prices of their products.

The suggested retail prices for Impossible Burger would drop to $5.49 in about 17,000 U.S. grocery stores, the company said in a statement, adding that it will introduce similar price cuts at retail stores in Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong.

(Reporting by Uday Sampath in Bengaluru, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

Impossible Foods Cuts Wholesale Prices By 15% for Second Time in One Year

PepsiCo, Beyond Meat Partner to Develop New Plant-Based Snacks

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 17:59:32 GMT

Jan 26 (Reuters) - PepsiCo Inc and Beyond Meat Inc said on Tuesday they would form a joint venture to develop and sell snacks and beverages made from plant-based protein.

Beyond Meat’s shares, which gained about 65% last year, were up 22.4% in premarket trading, while those of PepsiCo were up 1%.

Plant-based meat alternatives, such as burger patties and sausages from Beyond Meat, have gained in popularity in recent years as curious health-conscious consumers look to broaden or shift from chicken, pork and beef-based diets.

Beyond Meat suffered a surprise loss in its last reported quarter as demand for its products at restaurants and grocery stores tapered after an initial surge at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new partnership with PepsiCo will give the faux meat maker access to the beverage giant’s distribution and marketing resources and allow it to expand into new product lines, Beyond Meat Chief Executive Officer Ethan Brown said.

PepsiCo, which apart from its namesake soda owns the Lays, Quaker and Gatorade brands, has also been looking to expand its portfolio of health-focused snacks and beverages.

“Plant-based proteins represent an exciting growth opportunity for us, a new frontier in our efforts to build a more sustainable food system,” said Ram Krishnan, PepsiCo global chief commercial officer.

The financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed and the operations will be managed through a newly created entity, PLANeT Partnership LLC.

(Reporting by Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)

Real MEAT Act Senate Version Introduced

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:53:42 GMT

U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced the Real MEAT Act, which aims to clarify the definition of beef and plant-based meat alternatives on product labels. Fischer’s proposed legislation is a companion bill to bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House called The Real MEAT (Marketing Edible Artificials Truthfully) Act, sponsored by U.S. Reps. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., and Anthony Brindisi, D-N.Y.

Fischer, who ranches near Valentine with her husband, said, “Beef is derived from cattle—period. Under USDA, beef undergoes a rigorous inspection and labeling process, but plant-based protein products that mimic beef and are sometimes labeled as beef are overseen by the FDA instead. These products are not held to the same food safety and labeling standards as beef. Americans deserve to know what’s on their dinner plate. The Real MEAT Act will protect consumers from deceptive marketing practices and bring transparency to the grocery store.”

Fischer’s views about fake meat are posted on her website.

In a study conducted by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, 55% of consumers said they did not understand that “plant-based beef” wasn’t beef at all, but instead an entirely vegan or vegetarian product. Supporters of the bill say it would help clear the confusion by codifying a definition of beef for labeling and allowing USDA to take action against misbranded products.

NCBA applauded Fischer’s action on fake meat, and in a statement, NCBA president Jennifer Houston said, “It’s clear that fake-meat companies are continuing to mislead consumers about the nutritional merits and actual ingredient composition of their products. We commend the efforts of Senator Fischer on introducing this legislation, which would end deceptive labeling of fake meat products and allow cattle producers to compete on a level playing field.”

Nebraska Cattlemen president Ken Herz said, “Real beef, raised by actual farmers and ranchers in the state of Nebraska creates $13.8 billion total economic impact to our state. Protecting the legacy of these farmers and ranchers by ensuring imitation proteins do not capitalize on beef’s good name and reputation is, and will continue to be, a priority for the Nebraska Cattlemen.”

Specifically, The Real Meat Act will:

1. Codify the Definition of Beef for Labeling Purposes

Establish a federal definition of beef that applies to food labels;
Preserve the Congressional Intent of the Beef Promotion and Research Act;

2. Reinforce Existing Misbranding Provisions to Eliminate Consumer Confusion

FDA has misbranding provisions for false or misleading labels;
Prevent further consumer confusion with alternative protein products;
Clarify the imitation nature of these alternative protein products;

3. Enhance the Federal Government’s Ability to Enforce the Law

FDA will have to notify USDA if an imitation meat product is determined to be misbranded;
If FDA fails to undertake enforcement within 30 days of notifying USDA, the Secretary of Agriculture is granted authority to seek enforcement action.

Related stories:

Fake Meat, Real Money

AgriTalk: Real MEAT Act Calls For More Answers

Burger King’s Impossible Mess Over Fake Meat

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:53:14 GMT

You knew this was coming, right? A vegan man has sued Burger King because he claims the Impossible Burger he bought was cooked on the same grill as real meat burgers. That makes them contaminated, in his view, unfit for people who don’t eat animal products.

Burger King’s tagline on its plant-based menu is “100% Whopper, 0% Beef.” That’s impossible, given the way Burger King was allegedly cooking its products, and has left the company in a legal mess.

In a suit filed Monday in Miami federal court, Phillip Williams says he bought an Impossible Burger – a plant-based protein alternative – at an Atlanta drive-through because he saw no signs indicating it was cooked on the same grill as traditional Whoppers. Williams proposes a class action and says he would not have paid a premium price had he known the cooking would leave his sandwich “coated in meat by-products.”

According to court documents, “Plaintiff, like the other members of the Class, reasonably believed that the Impossible Whopper was in fact ‘0% beef’ and, therefore, did not contain any meat or meat by-products.”

The suit accuses Burger King of violating vegans’ rights through its unfair and deceptive practices and wants the chain to “return all benefits gained, profits received, etc. from its deceptive marketing and sale of its Impossible Whopper so as to make full restitution to Plaintiff and the Class” and make an actual meat-free Impossible Whopper. It also asks for injunctive and equitable relief and actual, compensatory, and any other damages the court sees fit to award. No dollar amounts are listed in the suit.

Several media outlets have reported this story because, well… fake meat is all the rage in 2019. At least one – Fast Company – reports they reached out to Burger King for comment, but of course the fast-food giant doesn’t comment on ongoing litigation.

However, we must assume Burger King executives saw this coming, right? I mean, it wouldn’t take a chef with a diploma from a culinary school to determine it’s impossible to cook an Impossible Whopper on the same grill as other burgers and not contaminate the plant-based Whopper.

Burger King is a fast-food giant. It has more than 17,000 restaurants in the U.S. and revenue in 2018 of more than $21 billion. It’s safe to assume any company of that size keeps an army of lawyers employed, and one of them must have anticipated a vegan lawsuit over the company’s fake burger cooking. Didn’t they?

If Burger King didn’t anticipate such lawsuits, it’s mind-boggling. Surely the rest of the fast-food industry will take notice of Burger King’s latest lawsuit and make revisions to their cooking methods if necessary.

Beyond Meat Stock Price Sinks

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:52:42 GMT

Prices for shares of Beyond Meat sank more than 20% on Tuesday as the lock-up period for early investors ended. The stock is down roughly 45% during October.

As the first plant-based burger company to go public, Beyond Meat became a stunning Wall Street performer, rising to a peak of $234.90 in late June after it went public at $25 per share on May 2. By Monday of this week the price had settled back to about $105 per share, still four times the IPO price.

Trading on Tuesday, however, was steady around the $84 mark, or about 20% below the previous day’s close. The decline, Wall Street analysts said, was the result of the end of the lock-up, the end of the six-month period of time following an IPO when large shareholders such as company executives and investors representing large ownership, are restricted from selling their shares. It’s a regulation that prevents such large shareholders from cashing in on early market swings.

Analysts said it was unclear whether any of the company’s early investors were among those selling in early deals, but it was expected at least some would cash in which was likely to weigh on the stock in the short run.

“Approximately 3/4 of the shares come unlocked today. What is less apparent, though, is the number of shareholders willing to sell with the stock down well over 50% from its high,” J.P. Morgan analyst Ken Goldman said.

On Monday, with the stock at $105, Beyond Meat’s valuation was $6.38 billion.

Of note was that Tuesday’s sell-off came after Beyond Meat announced its first ever quarterly profit and announced it had raised its full-year sales forecast. The company also said it would need to offer more price discounts to its products as competition in the category heats up.

On a call with investors Monday, Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown touted the fact the company’s products are now available in 53 countries around the world, and that he is excited about the partnerships the company has entered into. One of those includes a McDonald’s trial in Canada of the P.L.T. (plant, lettuce and tomato) sandwich. However, analysts were lukewarm to the success of the P.L.T., and note that just because McDonald’s is trying Beyond Meat doesn’t mean it will end up on the menu.

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Dan Murphy: The Novelty Effect

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:51:31 GMT

Why the ‘boom’ in consumer trial of alt-meat shamburgers and chicken? A new market analysis IDs the real reason: It’s all about the urge to try something new and different, if not better.

Of all the poorly worded attempts to capture the “buzz” associated with the ongoing media salivation over the alt-meat meat category’s latest introductions, few surpass this one from the website Takeout.com:

“Most coverage of the rollout of meatless fast-food burgers like Burger King’s Impossible Whopper and White Castle’s Impossible Sliders pegs them as a long-awaited drive-thru option for vegans.”

First of all, about the last thing that Overweight Nation needs is another drive-thru anything.

Second, five minutes hanging around any BK restaurant observing who was ordering Impossible Whoppers would have confirmed for even the most clueless of market researchers that vegans were NOT well-represented among the patrons choosing the chain’s latest introduction.

But leave it to a bunch of high-priced analysts at the NPD Group to proclaim the obvious: new data indicates it’s not vegans who are buying them, but meat eaters!

The firm’s survey data indicated that 95% of those who bought shamburgers also purchased beef burgers within the past year, which coincides nicely with ongoing surveys that reveal the same statistic: only about 5% of American adults are actual vegans.

It’s tempting to respond to NPD’s proclamation with, “Duh!” However, the report concluded that it’s not vegetarians or vegans who are buying meatless burgers, but so-called “flexitarians.”

Really? I guarantee that you’d have to spend hours at a White Castle or a Burger King store before you found a single customer who, if queried, would answer, “Why, yes. I am a flexitarian. Thanks for asking.”

Easy, simple … and useless

From Day One of the overhyped rollouts of various alt-met product introductions, it was obvious that the curiosity factor is what was driving initial trial for almost everyone. That’s not to say that the category won’t continue to grow, albeit at a pace less dramatic than the entrepreneurs shilling for their plant-based formulations’ *(alleged) superiority would contend.

Beyond the normal interest in something new and different, the other factor that has spurred sales of plant-based products is the shrewd positioning their marketers have embraced. Choosing a veggie patty or a shamburger assuages people’s concerns about global warming, an eco-crisis they’ve been led to believe is driven by livestock production.

That’s a mantra that animal activists have been promoting for more than a decade now, and give credit to the alt-meat manufacturers: They jumped on that bandwagon with alacrity.

I mean, it’s the perfect pitch for low-information consumers: Concerned about the climate crisis (as you should be)? Worried about the eco-impact of conventional food production? If so, all you need to do is start eating shamburgers instead of hamburgers.

They taste the same, the cost is competitive, and you’ll be helping to solve the planet’s existential crisis without missing a beat — or missing a meal, for that matter.

Switching to plant-based analogs is easy, it’s simple and it requires no significant changes in behavior or lifestyle choices. It’s the perfect solution for the same people who are unwilling to park their vehicles and walk 10 feet into a restaurant when they can just sit in their car and having somebody hand their food to them.

And it’s a false and deceptive argument.

What’s driving climate change isn’t cows, it’s cars. What’s driven CO2 emissions to historic (and dangerous) levels is neither the production or consumption of ground beef, but rather the energy-intensive agricultural, processing, distribution and food delivery systems that have been developed from the mid-20th century onward.

And eating formulated foods manufactured in high-tech factories from ingredients never before widely consumed in human history isn’t the answer to anything.

Other than the profitability of both start-ups and established companies planning to capitalize on the naivete of consumers conned into thinking that alt-meat is some sort of ecological savior, that is.

Going forward, there will be an even greater push to position alt-meat products as not only better for you nutritionally — which they’re decidedly not — but also as a quick and easy way for people to solve the complex and hugely challenging problem of a global ecosystem imperiled on so many fronts by warming temperatures and the potentially disastrous consequences they pose.

And let’s not forget the ultimate irony here.

For every woke fast-food customer (if that’s not the ultimate oxymoron) who proudly orders an Impossible Whopper or Impossible Slider, the tailpipe emissions generated while they’re idling at the drive-thru pretty much negate any potentially positive impact such a purchase could possibly be claimed to effect.

You want fries with your climate crisis contribution?

The opinions in this commentary are those of Dan Murphy, an award-winning journalist and commentator.

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Cell-Based/Cultured Foods Alliance Formed

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:51:19 GMT

Five start-up food companies marketing cell-based/cultured meat, poultry and seafood have formed the Alliance for Meat, Poultry & Seafood Innovation (AMPS Innovation), a coalition focused on educating consumers and stakeholders about their new industry and advocating for a clear path to market for their products.

In a statement announcing the new alliance, AMPS Innovation said, “Cell-based/cultured meat, poultry and seafood is real meat grown outside the animal, directly from animal cells. This means the companies are able to produce only the muscle, fat, skin and connective tissue that is typically eaten, without producing other parts of the animal that are not traditionally consumed. Cell-based/cultured meat is real meat, not a vegan/vegetarian meat alternative.”

• BlueNalu and Finless Foods, makers of cell-based/cultured seafood;

• Fork & Goode and JUST, makers of cell-based/cultured meat and poultry; and

• Memphis Meats, which is making cell-based/cultured meat, poultry and seafood.

“Members of AMPS Innovation understand that cell-based/cultured meat, poultry and seafood is one solution that will help fulfill the increased demand for meat as the global population grows to 10 billion people by 2050,” the statement from AMPS Alliance said. “Member companies also expect their process to provide significant benefits for the environment, animal welfare and public health.”

The five member companies said they are currently in the research and development phase and expect to have products available in the next several years, “through appropriate regulatory pathways.”

The companies said consumers want clear and transparent information about these products, and that AMPS Innovation “aims to provide a central, unified resource for consumers, stakeholders and policymakers as their industry advances.”

The companies CEOs said they are “committed to an open and science-based dialogue with all stakeholders, including industry partners, policymakers, advocates and consumers.”

AMPS Innovation said it intends to engage policymakers and stakeholders to educate them on their products in addition to working with Congress, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration as they continue to build out a regulatory framework for meat, poultry and seafood that is grown directly from animal cells, rather than harvested from the animals themselves.

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KFC Will Test Fake Chicken

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:51:02 GMT

Beginning this week, KFC will begin testing a plant-based chicken alternative from Beyond Meat in an Atlanta restaurant.

Yum Brands, which owns KFC, says the test will mark the first national U.S. fast-food chain to serve a Beyond chicken item. Earlier this year Beyond pulled its vegan chicken from grocery stores after determining it was not up to standards.

KFC says it will consider customer feedback to determine if the product will launch on a broader scale. KFC’s plant-based chicken alternatives include nuggets and boneless wings.

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Marfrig Joins ADM To Produce Fake Meat

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:50:34 GMT

Marfrig Global Foods announced this week it has joined with Archer Daniels Midland Co. (ADM) to produce vegetable protein products in Brazil.

The two companies will work together to plant-based products, with ADM responsible for supplying the primary raw material used in the process, while Marfrig will produce, distribute and sell the products in the food service and retail channels.

“Together, Marfrig and ADM will produce 100% vegetable protein-based burgers with the same taste and texture of beef. We want to give consumers the power of choice,” said Eduardo Miron, CEO of Marfrig Global Foods. “The plant-based burgers will complement Marfrig’s product portfolio and be distributed through all our market channels.”

In a statement, Marfrig said the product will be produced in its Várzea Grande unit, with sales expected to begin this year under a new brand. The first plant-based products under the partnership will reach the Brazilian market later this year, with exports following later.

“We offer an advanced R&D structure, natural ingredients and technological solutions, including the advantage of local manufacturing, to anticipate industry trends and meet our clients’ needs with customized service,” said Roberto Ciciliano, CEO of ADM Nutrition in Latin America. “We are the ideal partner to support and foster the sustainable development of the food, specialties and healthy nutrition industry.”

In April 2018, Marfrig announced an agreement to purchase 51% of National Beef Packing Co. for $969 million, making it the second-largest beef processor, with consolidated sales of $13 billion. The acquisition would boost Marfrig’s total slaughter capacity to 8.3 million per year with the combined operations.

In May of this year, JBS SA, the world’s largest meat packer, announced it would launch a plant-based burger in Brazil under the brand Seara. Two other large U.S. meat packers, Tyson Foods and Cargill, have previously announced their intentions to venture into the alternative protein category.

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Fake Meats Don’t Fit Chipotle’s Principles

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:50:22 GMT

Chipotle Mexican Grill joins the ranks of Arby’s and Taco Bell as fast food restaurant chains abstaining from alternative proteins. For now.

CEO Brian Nicole says Chipotle’s commitment to simple food created from just 51 ingredients will not feature alternative proteins the company considers too processed for its customers.

“We’ve spoken to those folks and unfortunately it would not fit with our ‘food with integrity’ principles because of the processing,” Niccol told Bloomberg . “If there’s a way for them to do this that would match our ‘food with integrity’ principles, I’m sure we would continue talking with them.”

Chipotle is currently doing all of its culinary development of new products internally, he added.

In response, Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown invited Chipotle to visit its factory in Columbia, Missouri, and suggested that meat producers are worse.

“You can come to our facility anytime,” Brown said in an interview on Tuesday. “Don’t call me, just knock on the door. I invite you to do the same with all of Chipotle’s meat-processing facilities. They won’t let you, and if they did, you wouldn’t want to see it.

The 2,500-unit chain – which last week reported strong second-quarter same store sales – is doing its own new product developments when it comes to new or adjusted menu items, Niccol added.

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Only Meat Should Be Labeled Meat – Andy Gibson, MS Ag Commissioner

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:50:03 GMT

The words are simple, really, to describe a complicated issue. Only meat should be labeled “meat,” says a new Mississippi law that went into effect in July.

The law “simply says that a plant-based food product shall not be labeled as meat or a meat food product,” said Andy Gibson, Mississippi’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce told radio host Chip Flory on Agritalk last week. “Meat has a meaning—it has a value to our consumers and of course, to our farmers…I absolutely support the law and I intend to defend the law and to enforce it, according to its intent.”

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The meaning of meat and meat food product is already defined under Mississippi law to include a food product for human consumption derived from the carcass of livestock.

What might seem like good common sense, Mississippi is not the only state working to define meat for label purposes. Missouri and Oklahoma are just two other states with meat labeling issues in the headlines, as plant-based foods businesses continue to grow in sales .

Mississippi legislature passed the law unanimously, but on July 1st, the day the measure went into effect, the state was notified of a lawsuit filed by the Plant Based Foods Association and Upton’s Naturals.

While the wheels of federal court turn slowly, Gibson says it’s confusing to understand what the other side’s goal is. From the complaint, Gibson said they want to use terms such as “meatless beef,” “vegan bacon,” and “meatless meatballs.”

“It seems to me that the folks who want to buy vegan burgers or whatever they are, that they would appreciate it not being labeled as meat or a meat food product,” he told Flory.

Listen to Gibson describe the long-term flooding situation in Mississippi, ahead of Hurricane Barry’s arrival.

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Science Can't Sell Fake Meat

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:50:03 GMT

How cultured or lab-grown meat products are presented to consumers has a big impact on consumer perceptions of those products. Before you say, “Duh!”, bear with me because some folks have spent some real money and time studying science-ignoring Americans.

In fact, a new study of 480 U.S. adults sought to gauge their acceptance of the attributes used to market cultured meat. Sure enough, the study found that when the products are marketed with “high-tech” attributes, consumers are significantly less likely to consume them. Groundbreaking stuff.

Marketers of fake meats already know that, of course, which is why they constantly tell consumers their products will help save the planet. They call it “clean meat,” meaning no animal participated in the production of the product. Emotion sells, and that’s hardly groundbreaking.

But since the study is complete, we’ll share the full conclusions. The authors, Christopher Bryant, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom; and Courtney Dillard, University Studies, Portland State University, Portland, OR, acknowledge some consumer uncertainty regarding the concept of cultured meat.

“In an experimental study, we expose (480) U.S. adults to one of three different frames on cultured meat: ‘societal benefits,’ ‘high tech,’ and ‘same meat.’ We demonstrate that those who encounter cultured meat through the ‘high tech’ frame have significantly more negative attitudes toward the concept, and are significantly less likely to consume it,” they wrote.

In other words, the makers of fake meats have run into the same hurdles American farmers and ranchers encounter when they use scientific advancements to raise crops or animals in a more efficient, animal friendly manner.

And, really, wasn’t this whole science-denying mess created by food marketers? First it was “natural foods,” then “range-free,” “no-GMOs,” “gluten-free,” the list is long. Just this week I saw a supermarket flier advertising “Earth Grown Beefless Crumbles or Chickenless Strips.” Seven meaningless words about the food products, yet classic emotional marketing.

Let’s break that label down. First, “Earth Grown.” That’s actually ALDI’s vegetarian store brand, chosen to elicit warm fuzzies from consumers who have never had dirt under their fingernails but saw something one time on YouTube about how food is supposed to be grown. Of course, pretty much everything is “earth grown,” except… lab grown meats!

Then there’s the “beefless crumbles” and “chickenless strips.” If you know nothing about fake meats, you assume the product is going to taste like ground beef or chicken strips. But this part of the label seems to defy every rule of traditional marketing, such as: sell the product first. And the most important attribute they have to sell is that it’s not beef or chicken. “Here, buy this. It’s not beef!”

So what is it? Well, the beef crumbles are $3.49 for 10 ounces. That’s $5.58 per pound, or 32% more than ALDI’s 85% lean ground beef. You already know those plant-based products have a list of ingredients longer than El Chapo’s rap sheet, so I’ll spare you the details. But the “Earth Grown Beefless Crumbles” contain 380 mg of sodium per serving, and just 12 grams of protein. Real beef? The 85% lean ground beef has 75 mg of sodium and 15 grams of protein. Now you know one reason why they don’t use science to sell the stuff.

Emotion sells. The beef industry has a great story to tell, one with plenty of science and, yes, emotion. The weather extremes of 2019 provide many examples of farmers and ranchers working 24/7 to care for their animals and maintain their stewardship of the land. Modern science has nothing to do with the love farmers and ranchers have for their land and animals. That’s an emotional attribute that has taken generations to grow.

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Plant-Based Food Sales Rise 11%

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:49:59 GMT

The plant-based foods business is booming. Sales of plant-based foods are up 11% year-over-year, reaching a total of $4.5 billion last year, and retailers no longer see them as hyper-niche products relegated to small sections of the grocery store. Overall U.S. retail food dollar sales grew 2% last year, including both animal- and plant-based segments. Compared to two years ago, plant-based food sales are up 31%.

Caroline Bushnell, associate director of corporate engagement for the Good Food Institute says, “We are seeing these numbers grow as retailers make these merchandising shifts and taking them out of the sad vegetarians’ corner.”

Retail sales of plant-based meat alternatives were up 9.6% ($802.1 million) in the 52 weeks ending April 29, 2019, according to SPINS data released by the Good Food Institute and the Plant Based foods Association. About 37% of that growth ($212 million) came from higher-value “next generation refrigerated plant-based meat products.” The frozen variety was up a modest 2% to $582 million.

Dairy alternatives remain the most popular animal food substitutes, accounting for more than two-thirds of the entire plant-based market. The SPINS data shows plant-based milk (almond, soy and oat) now accounts for 13% of the entire fluid milk category.

“We are now at the tipping point with the rapid expansion of plant-based foods across the entire store,” said PBFA’s senior director of retail partnerships Julie Emmett.

Plant-based food marketers recognize the importance of shifting their product from the frozen food section to the fresh meat aisle. Consumers looking for a “center-of-the-plate” item are more likely to search in the meat case than the freezer, and a similar strategy of marketing plant-based milk in the refrigerated dairy case helped propel those products to a significant share of the fluid milk business.

At present, GFI and PBFA say U.S. household penetration of plant-based meat is 11.9%, meaning those consumers have purchased plant-based alternative proteins. By comparison, 37% of U.S. households have purchased plant-based milk.

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Missouri Lawsuit Challenging ‘Meat’ Label Will Continue

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:49:55 GMT

Despite settlement talks that have continued for six months, the parties in litigation over Missouri’s law banning food manufacturers from using the word “meat” on products made without animal flesh say they have reached an impasse.

According to court documents filed before the July 4th holiday, attorneys for both sides said that despite repeated attempts to reach a settlement, the case will now proceed to trial.

“The parties do not believe that additional time will allow for resolution of the impasse. The parties are grateful for the Court’s patience as they attempted to reach a final settlement agreement,” the suit states.

In the filing, both parties asked the court to resume the litigation. Plaintiffs have asked for a preliminary injunction on enforcing the law and for class certification of the case. The state of Missouri has asked for oral argument on both motions.

“Two months after the complaint was filed, the plaintiffs filed a preliminary injunction, alleging that they face irreparable harm absent preliminary injunctive relief,” wrote attorney Michelle Pardo, of Duane Morris in Washington, D.C., in a blog post on the case.

“Tofurky’s harm, plaintiffs allege, is the conundrum the amended statute presents: risk criminal prosecution or change the way Tofurky does business by creating specialized marketing and packaging for the state of Missouri or refraining from selling products in Missouri entirely, both of which create additional cost and potential market disadvantages.”

A similar lawsuit was recently filed in Mississippi, where a law that took effect July 1 prohibits the use of meat terms to describe plant-based foods. Vegan products maker Upton’s Naturals argues the ban violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments.

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Beyond Meat ‘Tastes like Overpriced Falafel’

Beyond Meat ‘Tastes Like Overpriced Falafel'

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:49:48 GMT

George Atuan has some interesting and astute observations about your competition, and a vision that may impact your financial success. His latest column is titled “Beyond Meat: An Overpriced Falafel.”

Wait…this is more than just a carnivore’s rant about fake meat. Atuan is a financial columnist for Seeking Alpha, and his study of the plant-based protein startup was designed to help him offer sound investment advice for Beyond Meat stock.

I, along with other card-carrying members of the Heartland Chapter of GCA (that’s Gravy Connoisseurs of America) am convinced fake meat will remain a niche player in the meat industry for the foreseeable future. But how fast these fake meat products capture market share is dependent on money from investors, so the observations of someone like Atuan are important.

George Atuan is the founder and portfolio manager at RedFox Capital, Santiago, Chile , which offers investment advice to high net worth individuals and institutional investors. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Toronto, an MBA from York University and he speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. Whew.

He writes as a free-lance contributor to Seeking Alpha, which offers market insights and financial analysis, investment ideas and stock research written by finance experts.

Atuan is not a dietician or a chef. But, after an in-home comparison of beef burgers and Beyond Meat, Atuan declared the plant-based stuff tasted like “overpriced falafel.”

That word sent me scrambling for a dictionary, because (for me) Atuan might as well have been using Arabic words. Falafel, according to Webster, is “a small croquette made with ground chickpeas or fava beans and spices, often served with salad and tahini in pita bread.”

Here’s Atuan’s description of his first bite of the Beyond Burger:

“At first, I couldn’t pin it, but the second bite took me to my teenage years back in Bethlehem in the Middle East... that is when I realized that Beyond Burgers are just glorified Americanized falafels.”

But, while we may like his comparison, we’re not interested in Atuan’s taste buds. His financial and stock expertise is what we want. Well…if you’re anti-fake meat, Atuan doesn’t disappoint.

Indeed, he offers seven reasons for not buying Beyond Meat stock. Here’s the list:

Problem #1: Tasty, but far from tasting like a real burger.

Problem #2: No moat. Meaning – when better products are made the competition will quickly copy any upgrades.

Problem #3: Tough Competition Ahead. Think Tyson, Nestle and other global behemoths.

Problem #4: Production Bottleneck. Beyond has co-manufacturers, which actually put the product together, and to grow Beyond needs more partners.

Problem #5: Unattractive business economics in steady-state. As Beyond expands it will cease being a niche player, and thus compete with meat packers and find lower returns.

Problem #6: Not a Healthy Substitute. Beyond’s patty has more fat, less protein and four times as much sodium as a beef burger.

Problem #7: Valued to perfection. Atuan says to justify Beyond’s $150 stock price, sales have to reach $22 billion by 2030. Analysts on average forecast full-year 2019 sales of $205 million. In other words, current sales are less than 1% of $22 billion.

Presently, the Beyond patties are priced about 2.4 times higher than the real stuff. I’m no Wall Street analyst and I can’t speak a lick of Arabic, but cowboy logic suggests reaching sales of $22 billion in 10 short years is a tall order.

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On Shelves And In Trends, Where Does Fake Meat Fit In?

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:49:43 GMT

Imagine this: You go to your local grocery store, only to find the produce section stocked with Fruit Roll-Ups and Gushers. Would you do a double-take? Sure, these products mimic the taste of fruit and even have the word “fruit” on their boxes—but clearly these products don’t belong alongside apples, oranges, and strawberries.

Sound far-fetched? It’s already a reality for grocers who have to decide where to stock fake meat.

One of the biggest players in the fake meat market, Beyond Meat, is proudly promoting its product as the first plant-based “burger” sold in the meat aisle. But does fake meat belong with meat?

Grocery chains are now having second thoughts about stocking Beyond Meat alongside ground beef, pork chops, and chicken breasts. Instead, retailers are now placing fake meat in dedicated vegan sections.

There’s some logic to the move—after all, it’s not like consumers will be confused by finding Beyond Meat in the vegan aisle. But supermarkets would actually be better off putting the latest veggie burgers in the junk food aisle.

Consider there is a grand total of one ingredient in ground beef: beef. Compare this to the Beyond Burger, the ingredient list of which is 19 ingredients. (Its previous recipe contained even more.) One is refined coconut oil, which one Harvard professor called “ pure poison. ” Indeed, the American Heart Association recommends people avoid consuming coconut oil due to its high saturated fat content.

Coconut oil is not the only heart health risk that comes in these processed patties. In an age where processed food is everywhere, salt is arguably one of the most significant health risks—in fact, 9 out of 10 Americans eat more than double the recommended amount of salt. Excess sodium can contribute to high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.

A single serving of lean ground beef contains about 50mg of sodium. Compare this to the two leading fake meat burgers. In a single serving, the Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger contain 390mg of sodium and 370mg of sodium, respectively. That’s nearly eight times the amount of salt in healthy lean ground beef.

The slew of ingredients in fake meat can pose numerous health risks. One of the most commonly found ingredients in these offerings are soy protein isolates and concentrates. These are created by separating soy proteins from fats, which can involve a process where soybean flakes are bathed in hexane, a known human neurotoxin that is suspected of damaging reproductive health . Even though most hexane is removed through evaporation, small amounts inevitably remain. The European Union strictly regulates acceptable hexane residue amounts—but the FDA has no comparable regulation. Independent testing has found American food products containing more than five times the amount of hexane allowed under Europe’s safety threshold.

One of the most unappetizing fake meat ingredients, titanium dioxide, is found in a number of Tofurky’s “chick’n” strips. Titanium dioxide, or TiO2, is a whitening additive used in products including paint and sunscreen. Needless to say, you won’t find TiO2 in a chicken—but you will find it in fake meat. Research shows that ingesting small particles of TiO2 causes liver and brain toxicity in humans. Another study recommends that this chemical should be approached with “great care.”

Consumers are increasingly losing interest in processed foods. As a new report from the International Food Information Council reveals, “clean eating” is the single most widely cited diet in 2019. That means less processed foods and more whole foods. Diets like paleo—that eschew processed foods—are growing in popularity. Additionally, the turn towards clean eating is at odds with what fake meat companies are offering—a mishmash of chemicals designed to mimic the taste of meat.

Clean eating is popular not just among omnivores, but among vegans and vegetarians too. These latter groups avoid meat, but that doesn’t mean they have to settle for processed junk food. The rest of us shouldn’t either.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of Will Coggin, managing director of the Center for Consumer Freedom.

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