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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

Beyond Meat

Beyond Meat Revs Up for International Expansion Despite Coronavirus

It seems the end of 2019 was a mixed bag for Beyond Meat. On its earnings call yesterday, the plant-based protein company reported quarterly revenue that exceeded analyst estimates but narrowly fell short of profitability. On the call, Beyond’s CEO Ethan Brown also pointed to retail expansions and new fast-food partners, and called out recent backlash from the meat industry against plant-based proteins.

Numbers and drama aside, the part of the call that made me perk up was Beyond’s ambitious plans for international expansion. “This is a time of growth for Beyond Meat,” CEO Ethan Brown stated on the call. He added that the company plans to open a new co-packing facility in the Netherlands by the end of this quarter, which will “increase the availability and speed with which we can get Beyond Meat’s products to customers across Europe and the Middle East.”

But most of all, Beyond has set its crosshairs on Asia. “We [will] continue to focus on Asia with the goal of producing in the region before the end of 2020,” said Brown. If successful, that would give the company a quick foothold for establishing a strong presence in the region, and specifically China, which is something of the holy grail for the plant-based meat sector. Beyond has added incentive to move quickly because one of its most prominent competitors, Impossible Foods, also recently stated intentions to start selling its meatless meat (specifically pork) to Chinese consumers.

When asked by an investor how Beyond plans to cater to the distinct taste profiles of each region, Asia and otherwise, Brown brushed him aside. He said that the R&D for regional development would not be a “massive investment” for the company. He went on to say that first and foremost, Beyond was trying to create a “blank canvas” which can be used regionally to make distinct products that cater to local tastes. “So to some degree, it’s really about just being as true as we possibly can to the taste, texture, appearance and aroma of the animal protein that we’re targeting.”

As Beyond prepares to put the pedal to the metal on its international expansion, regional R&D might actually be an area which will require more attention than Brown expects. That’s especially true of Asian consumers, which often have different taste preferences than Western diners — a fact that David Yeung, CEO of Hong Kong-based alternative meat company Omnipork, which already sells via Taco Bell in China, pointed out to me last year.

If you’ve been reading the news at all lately, you might wonder: Will the coronavirus hinder these international expansion plans? According to Brown, not at all. He told Yahoo Finance this week that the coronavirus would not prevent the company from selling in China in 2020. “It adjusts some of our plans, but I am not taking my foot off the gas,” he said. Brown just better be prepared to hit some roadblocks (local tastes, international supply chain snafus, and coronavirus panic) on the road ahead.

Starbucks Canada Embraces Plant-based with New Beyond Meat Breakfast Sandwich

The plant-based meat prophecy is finally coming to fruition. Starbucks announced this morning that it would introduce a Beyond Meat, Cheddar, and Egg Sandwich in its Canadian stores beginning on March 3rd (h/t CNBC). The new sando will feature a custom Beyond Meat patty flavored with fennel, rosemary, and other herbs and spices. Pricing details were not disclosed.

As I mentioned, this morning’s news didn’t exactly come out of left field. The announcement came just a few weeks after the coffee giant’s Q1 earnings call, in which Starbucks COO Rosalind Brewer stated that a plant-based breakfast sandwich would be coming to both Canada and the U.S.

Canada has become a sort of testing zone for QSRs who are eager to test out meatless meat. McDonalds, Wendys, and KFC all have done meatless tests up in the Great White North. At the same time Canadian fast-food chain Tim Horton’s, which was one of the early adopters of Beyond Meat, discontinued the plant-based option completely just last month.

That blip aside, plant-based breakfasts are catching on like wildfire here in the U.S. Dunkin began testing its own Beyond Meat breakfast sandwich (made with its own custom patty) back in August of last year, and quickly rolled it out to all stores nationwide. Burger King is also selling the Impossible Croissan’wich, featuring its new plant-based pork, at a limited number of locations.

The Starbucks news comes at a time when we were starting to wonder if the honeymoon was over between QSRs and plant-based meat. However, it looks like that statement may have been premature. Taco Bell announced yesterday that it would “definitely do something with plant-based protein,” and probably before the end of the year. And despite lackluster Impossible Whopper sales last quarter, Burger King is still going whole-hog on plant-based meat with the aforementioned meatless Croissan’wich.

It’s also encouraging that Starbucks isn’t debuting the Beyond Meat sandwich as a limited test or pilot program; rather, it’s rolling out as a permanent part of Starbucks Canada’s core menu. That shows a level of faith on the part of the coffee corporation that the meatless meat is going to be a success, at least in Canada.

What with the hint from Starbucks’ Q1 earnings call, I don’t think we’ll have to wait long before a plant-based breakfast sandwich makes its way south of the border. Until then if you’re in Canada next month and happen to try out, send us a note to let us know how you like it (and how it stands up to Dunkin’s).

Burger Wars: Beyond Nutrition Idealism and Junk-Science Rhetoric, the Benefits of Choosing Plant-Based are Clear

Reports from the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, World Health Organization, and others emphasize the critical role of plant-based diets in creating a sustainable food future for all. Plant-based diets are also key for human nutrition, highlighted in diet guidelines the world over including US, Canada, and Brazil. Yet livestock remains essential to around one billion of the world’s indigent and the global demand for meat and dairy is expected to increase by 70% by 2050.

Meat production and consumption habits must shift, and solutions are sorely needed to feed the appetite for meat in the US and abroad. 

Enter plant-based burgers, which exploded onto the food scene in the 2010s. While eaters love them, questions followed: Are they healthier? More sustainable? And are they even “real food?”

Opinions are heated, but what does the science show? 

A Brave New Burger that’s Just Plain Better

Forget bland veggies burgers of yore that only appealed to die-hard vegetarians. Today’s food technology methods have brought consumers a beefy patty that sizzles—and they’re a game-changer.

Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods lead the plant-based burger market, and are quite similar in nutrient content and ingredients. A key difference is the use of genetic engineering, used in Impossible to create its umami punch from soy leghemoglobin. Not surprisingly, Impossible eaters care not at all about the tech that made it tasty—nor should they, given the copious evidence of its safety. (Beyond, conversely, boasts they’re “non-GMO.”) Major food companies also offer their own plant-based burgers using a variety of techniques and ingredients, now available in supermarkets alongside Beyond and Impossible.

Critics questioned wondered whether plant-based burgers would take off; the marketplace already offers myriad vegetarian choices, after all. Yet contemporary consumers are increasingly seeking ecoconscious options that supplant meat, while delivering the pleasure of eating meat—at least, some of the time. Ninety percent of plant-based meat and dairy consumers are omnivores, in fact, and Beyond reports that more than 70 percent of its consumers are meat-eaters seeking a more sustainable option. Importantly, Beyond and Impossible burgers are found on restaurant and fast food menus, a good thing since 49% of eaters globally dine at restaurants at least weekly, and most choose fast food fare.

Public health and environmental benefits of plant-based burgers are plentiful. Research funded by Beyond Meat and conducted by independent scientists at the University of Michigan found that its burger used 99 percent less water, 93 percent less land, and 46 percent less energy and produced 90 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions compared to a beef burger; similar results were found in a study of the Impossible Burger. While no peer-reviewed studies are yet available, a significant body of evidence—like this report of 40,000 farms in 119 countries and covering 40 food products that represent 90 percent of all that is eaten—shows significantly higher environmental impacts of meat production on land, water, and air compared to plants. While grass-fed beef can be more sustainable, it’s complicated—and hardly the panacea supporters claim it to be.

And don’t forget about antibiotic resistance, among the biggest threats to global health driven largely by misuse of medicines in livestock production.

Whatever the individual motivation to select a plant-based burger, the secret sauce is clear: When food tech delivers taste and convenience, health and sustainability win.

Burger Bloviating: Push Back on Plant-Based Meat

As with many food tech innovations, some folks in nutrition and activist circles began disparaging plant burgers as yet another ultra-processed food that consumers don’t need. However, there is considerable variation in nutritional quality across the four-category NOVA classification (unprocessed and minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, processed, ultra-processed). And numerous studies—including a report from several professional nutrition and food tech organizations—show that (ultra-) processed foods like bread and canned goods are nutritionally beneficial; it’s the whole diet that matters.

Plus, beef burgers don’t grow on trees; the industry employs an extensive set of ingredients consumers simply choose not to consider. A wide range of additives and preservatives and food processing methods were needed to get that cow ground up onto your bun, for instance, alongside atrocious conditions in industrial animal farming systems. And were you aware that meatpacking is among the most dangerous jobs in the world? The reality is that getting a burger to your table made from animals involves far more processing than one made with plants, facts its polystyrene package doesn’t provide.

But is plant-based meat “real food?” The concept was popularized by journalist Michael Pollan, whose other pithy yet patronizing advice includes “eat plants, not food made in plants.” Food writer Mark Bittman recently opined, “[w]e have to determine whether they’re actually ‘food,’ likening plant-based burgers to Cheetos. (Seriously?) Other foodies jumped on the bandwagon, creating nutrition confusion by preaching that meat from animals is inherently superior simply because it’s from an animal. 

At the same time, some health professionals return to the dog-tired diet advice that consumers need to eat more vegetables and fruits, like fresh peas instead of burgers made from pea protein. Similarly, an ivory-tower academic called plant-based burgers “transitional” en route to a whole foods diet, ignoring evidence that burgers can be part of a healthy diet, in moderation—and are integral to American traditions.

Viewpoints like these reflect a lack of compassion for the realities most people face in just trying to get a meal on the table. They also undermine how difficult it is to change the way we eat, They also discount the vibrant role cuisine plays in culture and disregard the power of technology to meet food needs healthfully and sustainably.

For a Brighter Food Future, Vote With Your Fork

Addressing today’s complex food challenges requires all the tools we have to curb climate change, address unsustainable and unjust practices in agriculture, and reduce diet-related chronic diseases.  Though novel food technologies will always have haters, it’s a brave new world with a new generation of eaters. Millennials and Gen Z are highly motivated by health and sustainability—and both are far more accepting of food technology than previous generations. Scientific innovations like plant-based burgers will always play a role in shaping human diets, as they always have—and often for the better.

But let’s not forget that a burger is a burger is a burger—and it’s especially tasty with all the fixin’s. (And fries. Obviously.) Most of us in high-income nations who strive to manage weight, stave off disease, and live longer are better off eating a vibrant salad loaded in fresh veggies, beans, and whole grains rather than a plant-based burger. At least, most of the time.

But you already know that, right?

So when that craving hits, grab a plant-based burger, and enjoy. Voting with your fork is a delicious way to support technologies that will help move forward the food revolution necessary to create a healthy and sustainable food future for all.

P.K. Newby, ScD, MPH, MS, is a nutrition scientist and author whose newest book is Food and Nutrition: What Everyone Needs to Know. Learn more about her at pknewby.com.

KFC Commences Rollout of Beyond Fried Chicken with New Iteration

KFC announced today that it was expanding the test locations of plant-based Beyond Fried Chicken. Starting on February 3, select KFC locations in Charlotte, NC and Nashville, TN areas will offer Beyond Meat’s vegan fried chicken. It will be on menus through February 23, or as long as supplies last.

This news comes roughly five months after KFC debuted the Beyond Fried Chicken sandwich during a one-day test in Atlanta, GA. To say that the test was a success is a bit of an understatement — it drew lines around the block and sold out in less than five hours.

Since then, Beyond hasn’t just been sitting around twiddling their thumbs — according to the press release, the Charlotte and Nashville markets will actually roll out a new-and-improved iteration of the Beyond Fried Chicken. The plant-based chicken 2.0 is apparently more closely resembles the real thing, and also “pulls apart like a chicken breast.”

This last part is especially important since texture is a huge issue for plant-based meats, particularly for whole muscle cuts like steak and — you guessed it — chicken breast. Beyond Meat may have attracted flexitarians with its burger, but chicken is a different, and more challenging, ball game. Beyond knows it only has one shot make a first impression for its plant-based bird, which is likely why it’s being so cautious (and gradual) in its rollout.

Interestingly, the new locations will offer a more streamlined plant-based menu than the Atlanta test. Charlotte and Nashville will sell Beyond Fried Chicken pieces in four and 12-piece a la carte and combo options. Atlanta, however, offered wings and nuggets, but not whole fried chicken pieces. Pricing for the new locations has not yet been disclosed.

It may be moving slowly, but KFC is definitely invested in the plant-based meat movement. And not just in the U.S. In November KFC Canada did a one-day test of a meatless fried chicken sandwich featuring Lightlife “chicken,” though it has yet to announce a rollout schedule. I think that KFC is smart to get a chicken alternative on its menu before its bird-loving QSR competitors like Chick-fil-A and Popeye’s join the party.

If you’re in one of the lucky areas to get the Beyond Fried Chicken, make sure to drop us a line and let us know how it tastes!

It’s Official: Impossible Will Not be On McDonald’s Menus (but Beyond Will)

After months of wondering which fake meat McDonald’s would finally put on its menus, we’re one step closer to an answer. Today Impossible Foods told Reuters that it was no longer trying to win a deal to supply the largest fast-food chain in the world, stating that it could not produce enough “bleeding” plant-based meat to keep them supplied.

Production is a looming concern for Impossible. At the unveil of its new plant-based pork at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, CEO Pat Brown told the audience that production capacity was the company’s “biggest challenge right now.” Nonetheless, Impossible is expanding its partnership with Burger King, which will begin serving the Impossible Croissan’wich, featuring Impossible’s new faux sausage, this month. It also told CNBC that it’s doubling its R&D team over the next year to speed up new product releases.

But that’s not all. The day after this news broke, McDonald’s and Beyond Meat announced that they were expanding their partnership in Canada. McDonald’s began testing the PLT (Plant, Lettuce, Tomato) sandwich, which is made with a Beyond Meat patty, at 28 restaurants in Southern Ontario last September. Starting this week they’re almost doubling that test to fifty-two restaurants in the Ontario area. The test will last for the next three months.

Put all of these clues together, and it doesn’t take a genius to guess that McDonalds’ in the U.S. could soon be rolling out a Beyond Meat burger. If they do, it would be a smart move for Mickey D’s. Burger King has benefitted enormously from its partnership with Impossible Foods. As more and more fast-food chains embrace plant-based meat — on all parts of their menu, including breakfast — the more notable it is that McDonald’s doesn’t have a meatless meat offering

The big question on my mind — besides when this new menu item will launch — is what a McDonald’s Beyond burger might be called. As I’ve written previously, I have some issues with the name P.L.T. because a) the sandwich doesn’t have any bacon, faux or otherwise, and b) it doesn’t leverage the Beyond brand. If they launch a Beyond offering in the U.S., McDonald’s would be smart to follow Burger King’s lead and put the Beyond name in it.

Whatever they call it, Beyond better wait to make that leap until it’s sure that it can do what Impossible could not: keep up with the massive demand of the number one fast-food chain in the world. At this stage, when alternative meat is starting to gain new audiences from QSR partnerships, a supply hiccup could put off consumers — and it might be hard to get them back. Especially with a fast-food chain that’s pretty much ubiquitous with burgers.

Beyond’s CEO Ethan Brown has previously stated that they were prepared to supply even very large restaurant partners. But will that include the largest restaurant chain in the world? With McDonald’s slowly (but surely) expanding its test of the PLT — and Impossible out of the picture — I’m betting we’ll soon find out.

Future Food: Forget Beef — Meat Alternatives are Setting Sights on Breakfast

This is the web version of our weekly Future Food newsletter. Be sure to subscribe here so you don’t miss a beat!

The Most Important Meal of the Day

In the pilot episode of Arrested Development, the excellent comedy series about a wealthy family’s shenanigans (skip Seasons 4 and 5, though), there’s an iconic scene. Michael Bluth, the family anchor, asks his teenage son George Michael: “What have we always said is the most important thing?”

Michael says “family” as his son responds “breakfast.” “Family, right,” says George Michael. “I thought you meant of the things you eat.” Well, it seems that breakfast might indeed be the most important thing to plant-based foods companies. Or at least it’s on track to be.

This week Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s announced that they would both start selling a breakfast burrito and breakfast biscuit made with Beyond sausage, beginning this month. The news comes just over a month after Dunkin’ accelerated the nationwide rollout of its Beyond Sausage Sandwich due to favorable sales. All of this means that by 2020, Beyond breakfast offerings will be available at over 11,000 QSR locations.

Photo: JUST.

The plant-based breakfast trend doesn’t stop at meat. JUST announced this week that Whole Foods Market will begin offering a JUST Egg scramble at the hot bar of 63 stores starting in January. It will also sell three new breakfast sandwiches, all of which feature a JUST Egg patty and are completely vegan. Whole Foods is also developing a vegan breakfast pizza featuring the mung bean-based “egg.’

In an email to The Spoon, JUST’s Global Head of Communications Andrew Noyes noted “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… breakfast is the next plant-based boom.”

The timing is pretty ideal. As The Spoon’s Head Editor Chris Albrecht pointed out, the rise in plant-based breakfast patties is coming at a time when the USDA is reducing the number of inspectors at pork plants. Simultaneously, the African Swine Flu is decimating pig populations in China, the world’s largest exporter of pork, which could lead to an increase in pork prices during 2020.

Aside from the seemingly isolated case of Tim Horton’s, which stopped selling all Beyond products (including breakfast sandwiches) back in September, that seems to be the case. JUST Egg is popping up on more fast-casual and QSR menus, and just made a factory acquisition to ramp up manufacturing. In the retail space, plant-based yogurts are popping up one after another, even from big players like Yoplait and Chobani.

One thing’s for sure: there won’t be any arrested development in the plant-based breakfast train.

TacoBell x Omnipork

The Taco Bell Test

Speaking of fast food, this week Taco Bell in China began serving a Crunchy Taco filled with plant-based OmniPork. This marks the first time that Omnipork will be available on a fast-food menu, and the first time that a Chinese QSR will serve meatless meat.

For now the Tex Mex chain will only sell 6,000 of the meat-free tacos. Yum China, Taco Bell China’s’s parent brand, didn’t note if the company was planning to put the OmniPork Crunchy Taco OmniPork on the menu.

This limited-edition pilot could give key insight into whether or not the Chinese market is interested in meatless meat. Sure, Beyond and Impossible has captivated Western consumers and made its way onto many QSR menus. But will China offer as hungry a market?

Alternative meat companies certainly hope so. In addition to OmniPork, which was the first plant-based meat to be sold in mainland China, Impossible and Beyond have also been vocal that they want to break into the Chinese market.

They’ll have to hope the OmniPork Crunchy Tacos are a runaway hit.

Beyond Fried Chicken at KFC

Beyond Meat Heads into Poultry

“You’ll see some exciting things from us in the poultry space in 2020.” That’s what Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown said in an interview with Bloomberg TV this Monday.

While Brown said he couldn’t name any specific partners or developments, there’s a least one we can make a pretty safe bet on: KFC. This August KFC did a one-day trial of Beyond Fried Chicken at a single location in Atlanta. They sold out in only five hours.

This success means that KFC would have to be bird-brained not to roll out Beyond Fried Chicken to more stores in 2020. With other plant-based poultry players quickly entering the U.S market — from Big Food to small startups — Beyond would be smart to start leveraging its brand recognition and lock up partnerships fast, before they get swooped up by someone else.

BlueNalu’s cell-based yellowtaill

Protein ’round the web

  • Burger King is giving out free Impossible Whoppers to travelers with delayed flights (h/t FastCompany).
  • Dutch company Protifarm has raised an undisclosed amount of Series B funding to scale its “tofu” made of high-protein beetles (via Agfunder).
  • Kroger is testing dedicated plant-based meat sections within its meat department in 60 stores, according to FoodNavigator.
  • Cellular aquaculture startup BlueNalu did a culinary demo of its cell-based yellowtail, which can cooked or served raw.

Happy holidays! I’ll be taking next week off to spend time with family and perhaps do another White Castle Impossible slider eating competition.

Eat well,
Catherine

Dunkin’ Accelerates Timeline for Nationwide Release of Beyond Meat Breakfast Sandwich

Dunkin’ is speeding up the nationwide rollout of its plant-based Beyond Sausage sandwich, which was developed especially for the breakfast chain by Beyond Meat.

Dunkin’ first launched the Beyond Breakfast sandwich in 164 Manhattan locations back in July. According to CNBC, the chain was planning to roll out the new offering throughout the U.S. sometime in January. However, today news broke that the nationwide release will happen a lot sooner — November 6, to be exact.

It may only be three months earlier than expected, but moving up the release timeline indicates that Dunkin’s Beyond Breakfast sandwich is selling well — or at least better than expected. In fact, Dunkin’ told CNBC that the plant-based sausage offering was their number two selling sandwich in the test Manhattan locations and that sales were more than double Dunkin’s original forecast.

We don’t know what the initial forecast was for the Beyond Breakfast sandwich, but its popularity is no surprise. Plant-based meat sales are booming across the country, especially in quick-service restaurants, where new faux meat items are leading to upticks in sales, media attention and long, long lines. It’s no wonder that Dunkin’ wants to capitalize on this trend and establish itself as a purveyor of Beyond breakfast sausage before other QSR’s roll out their own breakfasty plant-based offerings.

However, just because the Beyond Breakfast sandwich is heading out across the country doesn’t mean it’ll stay there. Last month Canadian fast-food chain Tim Horton’s abruptly stopped serving Beyond Meat items in all but two provinces, just a few months after it rolled out the plant-based meat in roughly 4,000 of its 4,800 locations. The chain did not disclose why it decided to dramatically cut back on its alt-meat offerings.

Dunkin’s nationwide effort with Beyond Meat might have brighter prospects. At present, it’s the only QSR with Beyond breakfast sausage on the menu, which could help it differentiate itself from other fast-food companies peddling alt-meat offerings — especially in the morning.

Maybe next we’ll see Dunkin’ lean into the plant-based trend even more with a JUST Egg patty.

Is McDonalds Canada Making a Huge Mistake Naming Its New Plant-Based Burger ‘The PLT’?

Yesterday McDonald’s announced that select locations in Canada would be testing a new plant-based burger called the PLT (Plant, Lettuce, Tomato) made with a Beyond Meat patty.

The move makes a lot of sense from a trend perspective. My question is: What’s with the name?

First of all, McDonald’s chose to make an entirely new plant-based offering, instead of introducing an alternative to, say, a Big Mac. That’s a totally different approach than competitors like Burger King and Carl’s Jr., who debuted the plant-based Impossible Whopper and Beyond Famous Star Burger, respectively, based off of their most popular sandwiches.

The choice to introduce a totally new product could speak to McDonald’s hesitation to dive headfirst into the alternative meat trend — a perspective that was voiced by CEO Steve Easterbrook to CNBC earlier this year. By launching an entirely separate product they don’t risk alienating any consumers who are wary of the idea of eating an alt-meat burger and might be put off by the concept of Big Macs going vegetarian.

The bigger issue, at least in my mind, is the use of “plant.” I started thinking about this after reading a tweet from Matt Hayek, an NYU Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies.

There’s a reason that other fast-food companies aren’t including the world “plant” in their alt-meat menu offerings: it situates the product as something other than “meat.” If McDonald’s is trying to appeal to flexitarians — that is, folks that are trying to reduce their animal consumption but don’t want to go full-on vegetarian or vegan — that could be offputting.

I’m also a little unclear about the decision to call the new McDonald’s offering the “PLT.” To me, PLT –> BLT — that is, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato. But there’s no bacon, plant-based or otherwise, involved in the product. That could be a source of confusion for consumers who see the PLT on menus, in-store or online, and are surprised when the burger shows op sans bacon.

Perhaps most interestingly, McDonald’s Canada doesn’t use the word “Beyond” or even “burger” anywhere in the name, which I think is a missed opportunity. By contact, ‘The Impossible Whopper’ is able to take advantage of Impossible’s brand recognition to draw in consumers who may have heard about the plant-based patties from the news, or even tried them elsewhere. ‘PLT’ could feature any old plant-based patty, or even just be a bunch of plants piled on a bun.

In short, it’s huge news that McDonald’s is experimenting with a plant-based burger in Canada, so close to the U.S. But they seem to be doing it in a way that sets themselves up for failure — or at least not in a way that would attract the maximum amount of new consumers, flexitarian and otherwise.

The PLT pilot will begin on September 30th in select McDonald’s locations in Ontario, Canada. Soon enough we’ll be able to see if McDonald’s is shooting itself in the foot with the name, or if consumers are eager enough to try plant-based options that they’ll look past an odd name and try the PLT anyway.

McDonald’s Is Launching a Beyond Burger in Canada

McDonald’s announced today it will conduct a 12-week test in Canada of its new plant-based burger made with Beyond Meat.

Dubbed the “P.L.T” — Plant, Lettuce, Tomato — the meatless burger will debut in 28 restaurants in Southwestern Ontario on September 30, according to a press release.

It seems McDonald’s is also taking pains to recreate the chain’s signature taste. The chain didn’t specify how exactly it has done that with the Beyond patty, just that the P.L.T. has been “crafted exclusively by McDonald’s” to “deliver the iconic taste” of the brand. The sandwich will be available for $6.49 CAD (a little under $5 USD).

The P.L.T. also looks to be an entirely new menu offering. In other words, McDonald’s isn’t trying to create a plant-based version of its most famous item, the Big Mac, the way Burger King has done with the Impossible Whopper.

What McDonald’s is clearly trying to do is thoroughly test the market for plant-based meat before committing to any widespread release of a plant-based product. In May, the chain said it was monitoring plant-based meat options but had no plans to share at that time. However, the chain now has a plant-based burger from Nestle on menus in both Germany and Israel.

The release of the P.L.T. in Canada brings McDonald’s plant-based strategy a little closer to home, and gives us a hint of what might show up on menus in the U.S. before the end of the year. While nothing is officially confirmed for the States yet, the new P.L.T. in Canada suggests McDonald’s will soon join Carl’s Jr., A&W, Del Taco, and other QSRs on Team Beyond in the race for plant-based burger dominance.

Future Food: In Its Second Year, the Good Food Conference is All About Growth

This is the web version of our weekly Future Food newsletter. Be sure to subscribe here so you don’t miss a beat!

Greetings! I’m writing this week’s newsletter from the Good Food Conference — the place where all the cool kids in the alternative protein space gather to network, listen to panels on plant- and cell-based meat, dairy, and eggs and sample all the latest alt-protein treats. It’s a madcap ride fueled by plant-based breakfast burritos (verdict: amazing) and lots of coffee.

I attended the first Good Food Conference last year, when it was a relatively intimate gathering of folks in the plant-based and cell-based meat space — a lot of startups and academics. Stepping into the event this year, I was blown away by how quickly it has grown. In terms of audience and venue size, sure — but also in terms of legitimacy. Here are a few things I noticed:

Playing with the big boys

Last year’s attendees and speakers consisted mostly startups and a few investors. This year, however, representatives from Big Food companies JBS, Perdue, and ADM all took the stage to talk about why they were interested in getting in on the alt-meat revolution.

“We are the biggest protein company and will remain the biggest protein company,” said Christy Lebor, the Global Innovation Lead for JBS, on the conference stage. “If plant-based is what it takes then we’ll do that.”

When I asked Bruce Friedrich, co-founder and executive director of the event’s organizer the Good Food Institute, why he thought there was all this new interest. He pointed to Beyond’s success on the stock market and the popularity of the Impossible Whopper as reasons why major food companies — and specifically meat companies — are waking up to the value of participating in a conference so blatantly focused on their disruption.

Friedrich welcomes these companies to join the conversation. “I don’t think anything is more exciting than getting Big Meat and Big Food to invest in plant-based proteins and cultivated meat,” he told me. After all, in order for meat alternatives to go mainstream big companies have to get involved: they have the power to manufacture plant-based meats on a massive scale, distribute them widely, and sell them at a low price point.

Next year he expects Big Meat to have an even larger presence. “I feel like we will make more inroads into the meat industry,” Friedrich said. “They’ll feel like they should have been here this year and they’ll want to be on the dais next year.”

Growth mindset

Eclipse’s plant-based softserve.

The alternative protein companies themselves are also growing and improving rapidly. Since last year’s event, both Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have come out with versions 2.0 of their plant-based burgers, which we all agree are massive improvements.

At the event I tasted Eclipse’s plant-based soft serve, which I thought was a significant step up from the last time I tried their ice cream just a few months ago. JUST’s new animal-free egg, which they launched this spring, was also much improved. Next up, a team member told me they’re going to add more sulfur in a play to appeal to Asian consumers, who apparently like the taste.

Sampling these new-and-improved products made me think about a concept my colleague Chris Albrecht wrote about last week:

Plant-based foods, especially those that aim to re-create the look and feel of animal meat, are ushering in a new era, one where new versions of the product are constantly being tweaked, updated, and released. In short, we are entering an era where food is becoming more like software.

Based on what I’ve seen at the conference that certainly seems to be the case. And it’s not just about taste — health is also becoming more and more of a priority for meat alternatives, especially since they’ve been getting serious flack lately by critics who say that their high levels of fat, calories, and sodium make them unhealthy.

As they iterate, scientists will likely be able to find ways to cut down on the sodium, saturated fat, and other health concerns in meatless burgers and more. Heck, they could theoretically tweak fake meat’s entire nutritional profile to make it actually good for you and still taste delicious. After all, plant-based meat can constantly be improved — the cow can not.

Who will be the next Beyond Meat?

Atlast Food Co.’s mycelium scaffolding for meat alternatives

One of the most exciting parts of the entire conference was the startup pitch sessions. We heard from a company making actually delicious plant-based bacon, mushroom root scaffolding for cultured meat, 3D printed vegan steak, vegan chicken nuggets and a jackfruit-based meat alternative.

Some of the ideas seemed a little far out. But as the moderator, Brian Cooley from CNET, noted, it’s the out-there startups that are the ones that are the next Impossible Foods and Beyond Meats.

In fact, the success of those two companies is what’s really behind a lot of the growth and energy at the Good Food Conference. Everyone is hungry to make the next meat alternative to hit it big — or to invest in it.

While the high levels of interest certainly make for an exciting event, it also makes me wonder if we’ll soon hit a point of market saturation. Okay, there’s not a really good plant-based bacon option out there right now. Or a company 3D printing steak. So there’s definitely room for new products and innovative production methods.

But what about next year? As more startups and Big Food companies try to cash in on the popularity of meat alternatives, the space could become so crowded that it’ll be nearly impossible (ha!) for new players to enter the plant-based space at all. Certainly it’ll become incredibly difficult to strike gold the way that Beyond did.

Then again, consumer interest in the alt-meat space shows no signs of waning. And as cell-based meat heads onto the scene we’ll see a whole new vertical ripe for innovation.

You can bet I’ll be there next year to report on it.

Photo: Integriculture

Protein ’round the web

That’s it from me this week! I’m off to go see what kind of plant-based snacks are hanging around the conference — here’s hoping.

Eat well,
Catherine

With Beyond Meat and Impossible Burgers, Food is Now Software

I was excited when my wife brought home Beyond Burgers the other night, but I was soon crestfallen (don’t tell her this) when I saw that they were the old recipe of Beyond Burgers. That version of Beyond Burgers was fine — enough to get me into the plant-based burgers in the first place, but the new recipe the company released earlier this year, is so. much. better.

Because my wife doesn’t write about food tech for a living, she was probably unaware that there even are multiple versions of Beyond Meat at the market. Why should she be? Food is typically food. You have your list, you go to the grocery store, put your items in the cart without looking at them too carefully, and bring them home.

But plant-based foods, especially those that aim to re-create the look and feel of animal meat, are ushering in a new era, one where new versions of the product are constantly being tweaked, updated, and released. In short, we are entering an era where food is becoming more like software.

This was fully apparent when I visited the Beyond Meat R&D facility down in Los Angeles last year. Teams of scientists were putting the company’s patties through various machines, simulations and tests, all to find the right combination of ingredients to create the optimal elasticity, flavor, texture and more of meat.

Beyond Meat certainly isn’t alone in its constant state of iteration. Impossible Foods was the belle of the ball at CES this past January as it launched a new recipe for its heme-burger. Like Beyond, Impossible will continue to improve its recipes even after it comes to retail next month. And the recipe tinkering won’t end this year, or with Beyond and Impossible. Nestlé is already revamping its Incredible Burger, Rebellyous is sure to improve upon its fake chicken nuggets, Omnipork will update its plant-pork, and JUST is always exploring new ways to make its mung-bean eggs (let’s not even get into the cultured meat that will make its way to market in a few years).

It’s not hard to see why there is so much recipe tweaking. First, plant-based meat companies like Beyond and Impossible are trying to do something that hadn’t really been done before. Instead of offering a veggie alternative to meat like a black bean burger or portabello mushroom “patty,” they are trying to re-create meat from the ground up. There wasn’t a playbook to go by, and the chances that they would get it perfect right out of the gate were pretty slim.

The new version of Beyond Meat (and the sister product, Beyond Beef ground) is so much better than the first version. At least for meat eaters and flexitarians who were looking for something like meat, but less ethically and environmentally complicated. As Beyond and Impossible spend more on research and development, they will uncover new ingredients, new combinations and new manufacturing techniques to make their products even better and tastier. (For more check out our interview with Impossible CEO Pat Brown.)

The same can’t be said for traditional animal meat. Sure, there will be varying degrees of quality, but beef is going to always taste and feel like beef, chicken like chicken and pork like pork. The cow (or pig or chicken) is not going to become a different animal.

Of course, this is part of the appeal of meat — you pretty much know what you’re going to get, and you will always know how to cook it. The same can’t be said for plant-based proteins, which will undergo constant tweaking. With these new iterations comes the chance that Beyond and Impossible will forget that perfect is the enemy of the good, and they will keep messing with it to create the Windows Me of plant-based meat: a recipe foisted upon the consumer that is just… awful.

But unlike software, there is no “Umami patch” that can be downloaded to the patties on store shelves to correct an off flavor. Think: New Coke, but only much more complicated. Coke, however, only had to deal with flavor, plant-based proteins need to have not just the right flavor but texture and appealing looks as well. A misstep could result in entire production runs being scrapped and new marketing campaigns to bring people back to a brand.

All of this tweaking and recipe improvement also plays into the criticism that plant-based proteins are too processed. It’s not hard to imagine critics already lined up against plant-based proteins to point fingers at scientists in white coats and petrie dishes creating “meat” in sterile lab environments. Animals, on the other hand, are familiar and all natural (well, in theory, I don’t think anyone would argue that factory farming of meat is in any way natural).

Aside from market realities and public perception though, I’m most fascinated by food as software because it represents a whole new way of thinking about food itself. The basic building blocks of our meals can be improved upon, resulting in new flavors and textures that we never even considered.

The natural endpoint for all this goes way beyond, well, Beyond, and the way we think of food now. At some point food will literally become software that is beamed to your 3D food printer, where meals that match you precise flavor and dietary needs are extruded directly onto your plate.

But until that day comes, just pay attention to the label to make sure you are buying the correct, that is, the newest, version of that plant-based burger.

Long Lines, Huge Crowds: KFC’s New Beyond Fried Chicken is Going Viral

Yesterday KFC made headlines when the fast-food chain announced that it would test out plant-based Beyond Meat chicken nuggets in one location in suburban Atlanta.

As the majority of the Spoon team is based in the Pacific Northwest, we couldn’t quite justify a trip to taste the plant-based chicken ourselves. Thankfully I grew up in Atlanta and my parents still live there — so this morning I called up my mother to ask her for a big favor: to drive over to KFC and try the Beyond Fried Chicken.

“This is crazy,” she said thirty minutes later when she called to update me. She described lines around the block 70 people deep with dozens of cars queued up to get into the drive-thru. Traffic was stopped on the entire right-hand side of Cobb Parkway, a major city thoroughfare. It was barely 11 a.m. “I can’t believe this is happening in Atlanta!” 

Indeed, the ATL is a place that dearly loves its fried chicken. A soul food hub, the city is also home of Chick-fil-A, which has expanded across the nation drawing fans with its crispy chicken sandwiches and nuggets.

My mother may be nice, but she’s not nice enough to wait in line for three hours on a rainy Tuesday (I can’t blame her). So instead she found a few lucky folks who had already scored their Beyond Fried Chicken and called me up to interview them.

Justin and Ryan with their Beyond Fried Chicken nuggets and wings.

Justin and Ryan waited in line for an hour right when the KFC opened at 10:30am in order to snag the Beyond Fried Chicken. They got 12-piece nuggets ($8.00) and a 6-piece wings, Nashville Hot flavor ($6.00). “They’re really good — the breading is nice, and they’re juicier than other fake chicken we’ve tried like from Morningstar,” they told me. They also said that the nuggets were relatively bland, but that the barbecue dipping sauce added a lot of flavor.

Both Justin and Ryan are vegetarian so they couldn’t speak to whether they thought the Beyond Fried Chicken would fool a meat-eater. They also didn’t offer to share the hard-won “chicken” with my mom (fair enough), so she, a fried chicken obsessive, couldn’t give me her opinion.

Based off of looks alone, it doesn’t seem like the Beyond Fried Chicken is going to be enticing any hardcore carnivores. “It doesn’t look very appetizing,” my mom told me later after sending me a photo of Justin and Ryan’s hard-earned nuggets and wings.

Indeed, the plant-based chicken isn’t winning any beauty contests. But a good chunk of ATL-liens don’t seem to care — heck, they’ll even drive out of their way and wait for hours in the rain for it.

At least part of this fuss is because Beyond Meat has become such a buzzed-about news topic ever since their successful IPO. Consumers are also always drawn to the next hot trend, and the KFC/Beyond Meat partnership got a lot of media coverage. There’s also a slight ‘Free Stuff!’ incentive: today the select KFC location is giving out complimentary samples of Beyond Fried Chicken from 10:30am to 6:30pm (with the purchase of a full-priced menu item and while supplies last).

However, I don’t think the promise of a free plant-based nugget was enough to draw crowds of this size. Instead, the viral popularity of the Beyond Fried Chicken speaks to just how much consumers want plant-based options, well, everywhere. Even in a city famed for its love of fried bird.

“It’s a sensation,” my mother said as she pulled out of the parking lot to head home. KFC stated that it would consider consumer response to the plant-based chicken before it considered a larger product rollout. If it mirrors what happened with Burger King and Qdoba, both of which tested out Impossible Foods products briefly in a few locations before expanding nationwide, that rollout will happen pretty soon.

Based on today’s response, I’m guessing we’ll soon be able to taste KFC’s Beyond Fried Chicken in a lot more places — maybe even Seattle.

Update: According to a press release sent to The Spoon, KFC sold out of Beyond Fried Chicken in less than 5 hours. In that time, the amount of Beyond Fried Chicken purchased by guests was equal to the amount of popcorn chicken that KFC would typically sell in one week.