Once-Hot Fake Meat Sees Sales Slide on Price and Being Too ‘Woke’
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Once-Hot Fake Meat Sees Sales Slide on Price and Being Too ‘Woke’
Martine Paris, Deena Shanker 3-4 minutes 9/26/2022
Just a few years ago, with a blockbuster initial public offering from Beyond Meat Inc. and the unveiling of an Impossible Whopper at Burger King locations nationwide , plant-based meats were ascendant.
Now, after once enjoying double-digit growth , sales in the plant-based meat category are not just flat but declining, according to data from Information Resources Inc., or IRI. That’s due to possible saturation of the US market as new brands hit the shelves, according to Deloitte Consulting LLP.
Sales of refrigerated meat alternatives at retailers are down 10.5% by volume for the 52 weeks ended Sept. 4, IRI data show. While higher prices are the top reason for the slide, it’s not the only one, according to Jonna Parker , a fresh food specialist at the market research company.
“Proteins that were cheaper on a price-per-pound basis did fare better,” Parker said, noting that semi-vegetarian shoppers that may have opted for an alt-product will now just go for the less-expensive real thing. With inflation, consumers have become less willing to pay a premium for faux meat. Taste and health concerns are also playing a role, she said.
Deloitte believes the industry is suffering from a perception problem. In July, it surveyed 2,000 consumers and found a decline in the belief that plant-based meat is healthier and more environmentally sustainable than meat from animals. (While the environmental credentials of plant-based products compared to their meatier counterparts are well established, the health claims are not .)
Deloitte also suspects that the addressable market may be more limited than previously thought with a growing cultural resistance to its “woke” status — even among those seeking to reduce red meat consumption. Case in point: When Cracker Barrel announced plans to add Impossible Foods’ sausage to its menu over the summer, it faced an onslaught of criticism on social media.
The slowdown doesn’t appear to be uniform for all brands. Closely held Impossible Foods said in a recent interview on Bloomberg TV that its retail sales have risen 70% in 2022. The company has rapidly expanded its distribution in supermarkets across the US in recent years.
“We have a lot of room to go,” Impossible Chief Executive Officer Peter McGuinness said last week, adding that the company can still add many new points of distribution with restaurants and retailers. He said consumers still have “low awareness” and “low understanding” about plant-based foods.
“The category in and of itself has done a pretty lousy job of communicating it, and we haven't done a great job either,” he said in the interview. He said Impossible Foods is working to improve its communication to win new customers.
( Adds Impossible CEO comments. An earlier version of this story was corrected to clarify where trend information came from. )
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Never had "fake meat" and doubt that I ever will.
I eat vegtables, but dont need them to be disguised as meat.
Let's think about it for a minute. We need vegtables in our diet. We also need protein. No protein = no strength or energy.
Are you saying that protein from non-meat sources don't count?
Peanut butter is loaded with protein. Anything with soy beans is loaded with protein. Legumes in general are full of protein.
Anybody who doesn't know that slept through their high school science and health classes
I guess Vic needs to do more thinking about it.
Same here. I like my cauliflower and broccoli..covered with real butter and cheese...from COWS!!!!
accompanied by a really good rib eye
Just out of curiosity I tried a Impossible Burger when BK first introduced them. Did not like as it just did not taste right and never had another. On the other hand, one of my grandsons loved it! Guess I am just a born carnivore.
It comes down to whether you like it and whether you think eating it is accomplishing anything for you or the environment.
As far as I know the body reacts differently to vegetable proteins than to meat protein. This is usually considered to be a good thing but these fake meats have tweaked vegetable protein. It's kind of like viewing a bag of potato chips as a serving of vegetables for the day.
Vegan "meat" is clearly a communist plot.
I'll go down with a 1/2 pound cheeseburger in my hammy fists before I succumb to meatless meat
In Ojibwe or Anishinaabe vegan, veggie or vegetarian translate to ''Can't Hunt''.
If meat is part of your diet then it's best to stick with buffalo, deer, elk, etc since all wild game is lean and much better for you than beef.
When we have a burger it's a buffalo burger.
Morning.. buffalo burger sounds good to me...
I generally make a commissary run to a Army base an hour away and get 1 lb packages of Bison burger and Ribeyes each time. Much leaner and healthier and I almost never buy ground beef anymore.
These fake meat products are no healthier than meat and taste awful.
You are better off pursuing a truly nice garden burger, mushroom, or legume based burger.
I would like to do a portabello like a burger. I hear that tastes good
Have you tried them? Some actually taste better than meat at times. Personally nothing beats a thick juicy filet, but when you want something different it is a viable option for replacing burger patties. Hell, I sometimes even order a vegi pizza just because the taste is better on that particular day.
I like a pizza with just peppers, onions, and mushrooms for a change of pace. We have a restaurant in our town that makes a gluten free crust from cauliflower. It's not bad, it's healthy until I order double cheese
I've tried it and you can definitely put together a cheeseburger with all the fixings that would fool a person after their second cocktail.
At my age I definitely do think about going easy on the meat more than I used to. So I was buying them for a while. Mostly to make for lunch.
But my bubble was burst when I heard nutritionists talk about them. They are heavily processed foods, high in salt, and high in the wrong kinds of fats.
They might have a better carbon footprint than meat, but the devil is in the details with all that factory processing going on.
Morning Revie...yes typical the more they stuff around creating food you have to wonder what sort of crap they are putting in it..
Stick to natural and you can't go to far wrong...
I don't use any burgers in my home made hamburgers... don't like the US style with pickles and stuff sacrilege...I don't eat Maccas (McDonald's)...or make your own hamburgers lean mince steak, egg, bread crumbs and onions etc...
I toast the bun...spread bbq sauce on it... lettuce, cheese, tomato, egg, bacon, beetroot and I use thinly sliced steak or my own hamburgers...at least that way you know what's in it...can throw in a slice of pineapple as well if you like...
That's what you get here if you ask for a hamburger with the lot for around $10...
That's Hungry Jack's for you.
It almost sounds like you are describing what we would call a steak sandwich here in the states, which is a very nice dinner when done up properly.
So many restaurants are feeling the pinch from inflation that their regular dinner offerings are starting to suffer in quality. But you can never go wrong with a decent burger, a steak sandwich or fish and chips in my book.
I draw the line at pineapple however! I don't get it very often, but MOD Pizza has some of the best vegi options I have seen for pizza.
Very lucky! I would love a good tasting cauliflower crust, unfortunately all the ones I have tried are just this side of stale cardboard.
Hungry Jack's is a reference most people don't get unless they live in or have been to Australia. It is the Australian equivalent of BK with the same logo except Hungry Jack in the middle instead of Burger King, unless that has changed.
What are you waiting for, they are delicious with a umami, meaty taste and thick texture. They are great as whole caps to include stuffed, sliced in pasta or stir fry and diced in soups or casseroles.
Morning..well I chomped my way through a nice piece of scotch fillet steak last night..there was nothing fake about that..
No kangaroo meat? Haha
Kangaroo is delicious medium rare as it's low fat easily dries out. Emu is also very good.
Morning...yes we are the only country in the world that eats it's Coat of Arms...
No must admit I have never had roo, Emu or croc..
They sell roo meat in Woolies meant to be very good for people with heart problems etc as it's very lean... certainly will jump start your day..🦘🦘
I am a more beef, lamb and pork eater.. can't beat a good piggy pork roast..
I tried alligator once. Didn't really care for it. Kind of like venison for me, a different taste.
I have concluded that I do not like reptile.
I have tried alligator and frog.
For the record - they do not taste like chicken.
Ha ha ha...was just going to say that people say it tastes like chicken..
They say the same about croc to and snake...I really find that hard to believe..
I might put it to the taste test...one day.😬
All of the reptile I have tasted is rubbery on the one hand and has a sort of otherworldly mild aftertaste, like it might as well be space monsters you are eating.
The Scotch Fillet is a very tasty boneless Rib-Eye from the forequarter, is it the same there? Did you grill it or sear it in the pan? Either way, I've become a fan of the reverse-sear, slowly raising the temperature and then a fast blast to sear it. Gives a nice thin crust while keeping most of the meat Med Rare, a classic, extremely flavorful cut.
I've also done it in the oven with a dry sherry, soy sauce, mustard and pepper sauce. Hard to imagine vegetables replacing this.
Morning we have both...rib eye is the top steak about $50 a kilo here... scotch fillet is around $40 a kilo...both excellent cuts...
I pan fry the steak or in the warmer weather throw it on the Barbie...I like it surf and turf...top the scotch fillet with prawns (shrimp) and a light garlic cheese sauce...
Geez this making my brekkie of toasted muffin and Vegemite look very average..now I have visions of steak and prawns...
Say what you will about Beyond Burgers and Impossible Burgers being too woke. At least they are plant based and not insect based.
Protein is protein.
I think the beyond meat products taste impressive, but I’m not paying a premium for it. I’m just waiting for the cultured meat revolution to explode. I believe the future will be filled with 100% guiltless and humane meat production. What to do with the mass of animals that have been bred to be helpless to survive on their own is another story.