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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

Beyond Meat

7-Eleven in Canada Now Sells Beyond Meat Pizza for Grab & Go

Yesterday 7-Eleven Canada announced the launch of Beyond Meat Pizza on its Hot to Go menu. The ‘za is topped with Beyond Italian Sausage Crumbles and roasted vegetables, and is now available in select Toronto 7-Eleven locations.

According to a press release from 7-Eleven, customers can grab a piping hot Beyond Meat pizza to go 24/7. There’s also a to-go “take and bake” option, and select stores offer delivery by Foodora or Uber Eats. Pricing details were not disclosed.

This isn’t the first time meatless meats have graced the top of a quickservice pizza pie. Multiple local chains, such as PizzaREV and Minsky’s, serve pizzas topped with Beyond Meat. Little Caesar’s began selling the Impossible Supreme, topped with sausage developed specifically for the chain by Impossible Foods, at select locations back in May.

Canada seems to be having a love affair with Beyond Meat. The plant-based meat is already available at quite a few local fast-food chains, such as A&W and beloved donut-and-burger empire Tim Horton’s.

However, this is the first time Beyond Meat will be available in a convenience store. It’s also yet another way for the plant-based meat to diversify its products and appeal a wider set of consumer demands. The pizza could be a good option for people who want to pick up a quick meal to make at home, or those looking for a speedy to-go bite that isn’t a fast-food burger.

7-Eleven didn’t mention any details about expansion plans. However, there are over 60,000 locations of 7-Eleven globally, including 8,500 in the U.S. alone. If the Beyond Meat pizza proves popular, we could soon be seeing it next to those rotating hot-dogs at the 7-Eleven hot bar.

Future Food: Pigging Out on Omnipork in Hong Kong

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

I just got home from a stopover in Hong Kong after the whirlwind of SKS Japan, and boy it was anything but boring.

In between sampling bubble waffles and copious amounts of dim sum, I got to meet with David Yeung, founder of the Green Monday enterprise. Green Monday is an umbrella organization which includes a non-profit educating consumers on the benefits of meat alternatives, a vegan grocery and wholesale operation, a venture arm, and a branded plant-based pork product called Omnipork.

Yeah. David Yeung is busy.

During my visit I also got to put Omnipork to a taste test. I sampled it tucked in a fried gyoza, crumbled on top of a bowl of ramen, and stuffed inside sweet puff pastry dim sum.

Overall, I thought Omnipork worked pretty well as a pork substitute. It doesn’t have the same unctuous fattiness of actual pork, at least partially because it’s lower in saturated fat, but it’s still tasty and the texture hits close to the mark.

Omnipork is essentially flavorless — which is both a good and bad thing. Yeung told me this was very intentional; he wanted to make a product that was endlessly versatile so it could be incorporated into a wide variety of Asian dishes. However, it can also make for a pretty bland bite if not properly seasoned or combined with tasty sauces.

The versatility bit is key. Yeung’s overarching goal is to make a comprehensive platform to cut down on Asia’s consumption of animal products, starting with the continent’s most popular meat: pork. Yeung said that Asian consumers might have a burger every month or so, but they incorporate ground pork into multiple meals daily. He figured that if he wanted to create a plant-based protein that could have a shot at taking a bite out of growing meat consumption in Asia, he had to make a product specifically tailored for that audience.

Crazily enough, he’s the first to do so. When people think about the new wave of fake meat products, their thoughts automatically turn to Silicon Valley. While there’s certainly plenty of innovation there, Asia is actually the area that seems in most need of tasty, cheap plant-based protein: meat consumption there is projected to rise by 78 percent by 2050, and recent outbreaks have made meat prices skyrocket and also triggered consumer demand for a safer alternative.

I left Hong Kong feeling both inspired by Yeung’s progress and daunted by how far he has to go. If he wants to take a bite out of Asian pork consumption, he’ll need to get Omnipork on a lot more plates. Making it into tasty gyozas is certainly a good start.

Photo: Beyond Meat

Beyond Meat skips Japan

Like any alternative-protein nerd, I kept my eyes peeled during my time in Tokyo to see if I came across any plant-based meat, eggs, etc.

No dice. And now it seems that at least one major alt-protein player won’t be entering the Japanese market at all, at least for a while. Last week Reuters reported that Beyond Meat had dropped plans to start selling in Japan, instead opting to double down on the U.S. market.

This is a change in tune from Beyond CEO’s Ethan Brown statement during the company’s first earnings call a few months ago. Then, he outlined Beyond’s aggressive expansion plan, naming Asia as one of the key areas of focus.

That being said, it makes sense why Beyond has to hit the pause button on outward growth and turned their attention back stateside. The company has announced multiple fast-food partnerships over the past few weeks alone, including large rollouts with Dunkin’ and Subway. A product shortage would be very, very bad right now, as Beyond competes with Impossible Foods in a race to snag the most fast-food partners and steels itself for Impossible to enter retail later this year.

No wonder Beyond has turned its attention back to the U.S.

Photo: Aramark.

Cafeteria special: Meatless meat

As I mentioned above, alternative meat companies have been grabbing headlines lately by partnering with large fast-food chains like Burger King, Subway and Dunkin’. But recently, two new alt-meat partnerships have flown relatively under the media radar — and they shouldn’t.

Last week food service management company Sodexo announced it would launch a new product line featuring the Impossible burger at 1,500 locations in the U.S. A few days later, news broke that food and facilities management giant Aramark would begin using Beyond Meat products to build out its plant-based meat portfolio.

Partnerships like these may not get as much press as fast-food launches, but teaming up with major food and facilities management companies is an important strategic move for companies like Impossible and Beyond.

Most obviously, it’s an opportunity for plant-based meat companies to massively expand their footprint and get their products on even more plates, selling to a captive audience at sports venues, concert halls, and cafeteria. Since both providers also serve a lot of university cafeterias, also a way for them to train younger generations of consumers to expect alternative proteins wherever they dine.

Beyond and Impossible may be just starting to ramp up foodservice expansion, but they’re not the first to do so. Plant-based chicken nugget company Rebellyous has been targeting large clients like cafeterias from the start (they just got into the Microsoft canteen).

If meat alternatives want to give real meat a serious run for its money, they’ll need to capture audience not just in restaurants and grocery stores, but also during their office lunch or ball game dinner. These partnerships are a great start.

Photo: Integriculture

Protein ’round the web

  • An Australian startup is growing kangaroo meat in a lab (via the Wall Street Journal). They currently estimate it would cost about $600 Australian dollars (~$400 USD) to produce one kilogram.
  • Edible insect company Chapul is no longer making protein bars. Instead, they’ll focus on growing bugs to use as fish and poultry feed (h/t Foodnavigator).
  • At SKS Japan we spoke with Integriculture’s founder about his plan to sell cell-based foie gras in restaurants by 2021.

That’s it from me this week. I’m off to grab another coffee to keep my jet lag at bay.

Eat well,
Catherine

Subway Partners With Beyond Meat for Plant-Based Meatball Sub

Subway joined the growing number of QSRs offering plant-based meat options this week, announcing a new partnership with Beyond Meat.

The two companies will start testing the Beyond Meatball Marinara sandwich, a plant-based take on one of Subway’s classics, in September, according to a press release. The sandwich will be available in 685 Subway restaurants for a limited time in the U.S. and Canada. Subway didn’t specify how limited that time would be or what happens afterwards. Presumably, the Beyond Meatball Marinara will be available as long as supplies last, and its expansion will depend on how popular the sandwich proves during this testing phase.

Subway is the latest fast-food outlet to start offering a plant-based option on its menu. At the end of last month, Beyond added a partnership with Dunkin’ to sell plant-based breakfast sandwiches in NYC. Beyond also has menu items at chains like Del Taco and Carl’s Jr., as well as a strong retail presence in grocery stores. The company even launched a new ground-beef-like product at Whole Foods earlier this summer.

Impossible, meanwhile, is set to do a nationwide rollout of its Impossible Whopper at Burger King this week. The company, who is Beyond’s chief rival, already works with White Castle as well as some non-burger chains like Qdoba and Little Caesar’s. Impossible is also (finally) heading to retail stores this September.

Given the surging popularity of both Impossible and Beyond, we can expect the list of QSRs testing out plant-based options like these to keep growing throughout the rest of the year.

Future Food: Finally, Impossible is Headed to Retail

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

Hey guys. We may not be having record-breaking heat levels in Seattle, but as we wade into the depths of summer it still seems harder and harder to do anything that’s not jumping in a lake.

One group that doesn’t have the luxury of summer chilling is Impossible Foods. Fresh off of a headline-grabbing four-month shortage, this week the plant-based meat company announced that it had partnered with one of the world’s largest food manufacturers, the OSI Group, in order to increase its production capacity.

Impossible is going to need all the help it can get. Just yesterday it officially announced that it will launch its plant-based meat in retail this September. That means the company has two months maximum before it needs to be prepared to supply not its growing list of restaurant partners — including fast-food behemoths like Burger King, which is rolling out the Impossible Whopper nationwide on August 8 — but also grocery stores. Hopefully Impossible’s shortage really is donezo, because otherwise they could get some serious backlash when shoppers find an empty retail shelf where they were expecting some Impossible “meat.”

Wait, Impossible is going to retail?

Yes it is! We may now know that Impossible will hit grocery shelves in September, but there are still a lot of question marks.

What will its first product be?
A safe bet here would be burgers, as that’s the vast majority of what Impossible sells now to its restaurant partners and the first product that most people associate with its brand. However, since the launch of its new recipe 2.0 back in January, the company has been working to emphasize the versatility of its “bleeding” meatless meat.

Over the past year they have begun to branch out beyond burgers with some of their restaurant partners. At Qdoba, Impossible plant-based protein is turned into seasoned taco “beef,” and at Little Caesar’s, it’s a sausage-like topping for pizza (extra interesting, since that iteration skews more towards pork than beef). Just a few days ago it appeared on Wow Bao’s menu in the form of a spicy Mongolian bao bun.

Maybe instead of a pre-formed patty we’ll see something more ground meat-like, sort of like Beyond Beef? It seems less likely, but they could also to differentiate themselves and offer products that Beyond doesn’t already sell in retail, such as ground pork or breakfast sausage.

How much will it cost?
Obviously Impossible will need to price its product competitively with Beyond Meat. Because the two products are so similar — many people I talk to about them refer to them interchangeably — even a minimal price difference could push someone to put an Impossible product in their cart instead of Beyond.

What’s less clear is if Impossible will be able to hit that competitive price point. Unlike Beyond, its plant-based meat contains heme, which it makes from genetically engineered yeast. I’m not sure how expensive that process is, but it’s one step that Beyond doesn’t have to deal with. Then again, Impossible has been able to sell its products at a pretty competitive price through its fast-food partners (it’s only $1 more than the meat options at both Burger King and White Castle), so clearly they’re able to get their costs down at least relatively low.

Where will it launch?
We don’t yet know which retail partners Impossible will launch with, or how many stores.

But one thing that does seem clear is that Impossible has learned an important lesson from its recent product shortage. In the past, it has been burned by growing too big too quickly. The company is already hedging its bets with the nationwide Burger King launch, stating that Impossible Whoppers will only be available “while supplies last.” It’s likely that they’ll roll out slowly in grocery stores to avoid the embarrassment of another shortage, especially so soon after their last one.

Impossible heading into retail is a big deal not only for the company but for plant-based meat in general. Now consumers who want to try out meatless meat will have more than just one option in the grocery store.

Sure, there are other plant-based meat products sold on store shelves, but Beyond is unquestionably the leader in fake meat retail right now. It also has the first-mover advantage. All of which is to say that Impossible will have to keep hustling on marketing, production, and product innovation to make it stand out in the grocery aisle. Looks like the company won’t be able to chill for a long time.

(photo: Chris Albrecht).

It’s all a process

Speaking of Beyond Meat, the company’s post-IPO honeymoon might be coming to an end. Beyond’s share prices dropped significantly this week, and they’ve also been fielding some critiques regarding their heavy processing methods and long ingredient lists. Even Chipotle threw them some shade.

During their Q2 earnings call this week, Beyond’s CEO Ethan Brown directly addressed concerns by stating that their company’s production methods are admittedly complex, but no more so than those used by a cow to turn plants into muscle.

“When it comes to meat, it’s not a question of processed or not no matter which process they prefer,” he said, referring to making meat from plants and from animals.

That’s an interesting way to look at it. After all, the process of animals digesting plants and turn them into meat is definitely complex — far beyond the scope of my 11th-grade bio abilities. By comparison, extracting protein from peas and beans, adding vitamins and extruding them a machine seems, well, simple.

However, compare Beyond Meat to other veggie burgers — the kind many flexitarians now turn their nose up at — and the processing critiques hold a lot more water. A black bean burger may not be as “sexy” as a burger that turns plants into a pretty damn good simulacrum of meat. However, you also know exactly what’s going into it (mostly beans), and have a pretty good idea of how those ingredients were prepared and assembled (cooked, mashed, shaped, frozen). Both options are still made by machines, so in the end they’re both probably processed a similar amount.

But while people have a pretty good idea about how companies turn beans into burgers, most of us can’t say the same about Beyond, Impossible, and the like. Though I guess we could take Brown up on his offer and visit the Missouri production facility to find out.

Photo: Meatless Farm

Protein ’round the web

  • Fast-casual Asian restaurant Wow Bao is launching a meatless bao bun made with Impossible Foods “meat” on August 5th.
  • In Canada, fast-food chain Tim Horton’s is testing out JUST’s plant-based egg. Might there be Beyond/JUST breakfast sandwiches in our future?
  • U.K. company Meatless Farms, which makes plant-based burgers, sausages, and more, will launch in Whole Foods next week.

Eat well,
Catherine

In Earnings Call, Beyond Meat Claps Back Against Critiques that It’s Too Processed

Yesterday Beyond Meat reported its Q2 2019 earnings. Over the call, the plant-based meat company touched on its high revenue growth, new fast-food partnerships, and product revamp — but CEO Ethan Brown also touched on a recent spate of criticism leveled against the company regarding its products.

From the earnings call transcript:

In my hope that as a company we are helping consumers to understand that there are at least two processes, both of which begin with the same inputs. At a high level, the traditional proteus are in plant material at the form of feed or grasses along with water through an animal. The animal’s biology works from the digestive tract through to the muscular system to convert these inputs to muscle, which are then harvested for meat in processing facilities.

At Beyond Meat, also at a high level, our processes start with the same inputs, plant material, from which we gather protein, lipids, trace minerals and vitamins, and combined with water, run these through a system of heating, cooling, pressure and mixing that build meats directly from plants.

This statement seems to be in direct response to recent pushback Beyond has been getting against its processing methods. Some consumers are put off by the new crop of meatless meat, preferring simpler alternatives like black bean burgers or grass-fed beef. Apparently, that feeling is shared by some restaurant groups. Last week Chipotle’s CEO Brian Niccol said that they didn’t want to serve Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods products because they are too heavily processed.

During the earnings call, Brown was clearly addressing Niccol and others hesitant about Beyond’s production methods.

We offer the consumer transparency. They are welcome to visit our production facilities in Missouri to learn more about how we build meat. It is my belief they will leave inspired and with a stronger understanding that when it comes to meat, it’s not a question of processed or not no matter which process they prefer.

Despite defending Beyond’s processing, well, process, Brown did state that the company is moving towards a more clean-label approach. “The simpler and cleaner the ingredient list, the better, and we’re constantly striving in that direction,” he told investors during the earnings call. He also pointed out that Beyond Meat is free of genetically modified or artificial ingredients.

At the same time, he noted that Beyond is trying to close the taste gap between their product and meat from a cow. Brown estimated that their product tasted roughly 80 percent identical to beef right now, but that bridging that final 20 percent would be a difficult push. Odds are, the solution will lie in even more processing.

Chipotle joins other fast-food chains, such as Taco Bell and Arby’s, who are also choosing to eschew meatless meats. But plenty of others QSR’s — from Dunkin’ to White Castle to Burger King — are hopping on the plant-based protein bandwagon.

Since consumers aren’t typically expecting clean label ingredients when they eat out at fast food, I don’t think that controversy around Beyond’s processing methods will negatively affect future QSR partnerships — especially since meatless meat is having quite the moment in quick-service dining. But when it comes to fast-casual restaurants with a healthy spin, like Chipotle, anti-processing pushback could be a real concern.

Right now, Beyond is stuck between a rock and a hard place. They want to make their plant-based meat taste even more like the real thing, but they also want to make it out of simple, minimally-processed ingredients. I don’t think the company will be able to have their cake — er, burger — and eat it, too.

Beyond Meat Q2 2019 Earnings: $67.3M in Net Revenues, Bumps Up 2019 Forecast to $240M

Beyond Meat reported its Q2 2019 results today. Though the results were mixed, sales of its plant-based meat blew past expectations, and the company has raised its revenue forecast for the year.

Beyond reported net revenues of $67.3 million for the second quarter of this year, which is an increase of 287 percent of the same period last year (analysts had predicted sales of $52.7 million). The company’s net loss was $9.4 million, or 24 cents per share (analysts had predicted a loss of 8 cents per share). Beyond also increased its net revenue projections for 2019 to exceed $240 million, an increase of $30 million from its Q1 2019 forecast of $210 million released just last month.

Beyond attributed the growth in revenues to “an increase in sales volumes of products in our fresh platform across both our retail and restaurant and foodservice channels, driven by expansion in the number of retail and foodservice points of distribution, including new strategic customers, international customers, and greater demand from our existing customers.”

It’s been a heck of a quarter for Beyond Meat. The company released its newer, beefier recipe as well as a new ground “beef” product (both of which are delicious!). After a successful launch of the Beyond Meat Taco at Del Taco, the fast food restaurant expanded its Beyond lineup. The Tovala smart oven added a dedicated Beyond cook program and started offering Beyond products in its meal plan. And just last week, Dunkin’ launched a new Beyond breakfast sausage patty at its Manhattan stores.

The sustained growth of Beyond sales helps illustrate how plant-based meat isn’t a flash in the pan, as it were, but part of a broader shift in the way people eat. The continued growth is good news for Impossible Foods, which has raised $687.5 million and is likely on its own IPO trajectory. Impossible is just one of Beyond’s rising plant-based burger rivals, which also include big food companies like Nestlé.

But the biggest hassle/threat to Beyond Meat might not be another company at all, but rather protectionist lawmakers. State legislatures in Arkansas, Mississippi and Missouri have enacted laws preventing plant-based products from using words like “meat” or “burger” in their labels. Continued growth in sales and revenues, however, should give Beyond more resources with which to fight such laws.

Smart Move: Dunkin’ Now Offers Beyond Meat Breakfast Sandwiches in NYC

Now you can eat Beyond Meat products morning, noon, and night — as long as you live in Manhattan, that is.

Today Dunkin’ announced that it has teamed up with Beyond Meat to launch the Beyond Sausage Breakfast Sandwich in 164 Manhattan locations, with plans for a national rollout. Served on an English muffin with egg and American cheese, the press release notes that the Beyond breakfast sausage patty has a particular mix of spices created especially for Dunkin. It will cost $4.29 and is available starting today.

This is the first time Beyond has served its breakfast sausage in the U.S. It’s currently available at almost 4,000 locations of coffee and donuts chain Tim Hortons in Canada. However, this new patty seems to have been created especially for Dunkin, so it’s likely not exactly the same product.

My colleague Chris got to try a Beyond breakfast patty (maybe even the one being developed for Dunkin’?) when he toured the El Segundo, California-based company almost a year ago. He loved the taste and texture, noting that it was a “game changer in the alterna-meat category.” He also correctly pointed out that introducing a plant-based sausage patty is a smart play on Beyond’s part to enter the breakfast category. Updated: Bolstering their breakfast play, Beyond is also reportedly developing plant-based bacon. 

Today’s partnership is also a clever move on Dunkin’s part. By adding a Beyond Meat product they can surf the wave of plant-based meat popularity and potentially lure consumers away from competitors like Starbuck’s or McDonald’s who have yet to add meatless meat to their menus.

If you’re in Manhattan and get your hands on a Beyond Sausage Breakfast Sandwich, drop us a line and let us know how it is!

Future Food: Why Are Companies Chicken about Plant-Based Poultry?

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

Hi guys. Seeing as it’s summertime, the season for grilling, lately I’ve had some deep thoughts about (plant-based) burgers. Specifically, why they’re one of the only options in the meatless meat section of my grocery store.

Like the Little Mermaid, I want more. Chicken is the most popular meat in America, so why can’t I find a decent plant-based version of it?

Tastes like…
There’s clearly a demand for plant-based poultry. KFC in the U.K. recently tested out a plant-based chicken patty called the Imposter Burger that sold out in just four days.

But considering the popularity of chicken, innovation has been surprisingly slow when it comes to finding an alternative to the real thing. Perhaps that’s because poultry has a far smaller environmental cost than cattle, so companies have prioritized beef over chicken. Or maybe the texture of chicken is harder to emulate than that of ground beef.

Nonetheless, we are starting to see a few leaders hatch:

  • Poultry processing giant Tyson launched its Raised & Rooted line last month. One of its first two products was a vegetarian “chicken” nugget made of pea protein and egg whites.
  • Swiss startup Planted makes meat-free chicken from pea protein, pea fiber, water and sunflower oil.
  • Last week NUGGS launched its plant-based chicken nuggets, which it delivers in boxes right to consumers’ doorsteps.
  • Rebellyous, formerly called Seattle Food Tech, also makes vegan chicken nuggets. It sells them wholesale to large-scale foodservice providers like schools and hospitals.
  • In the U.K., THIS, whose chicken “chunks’ are pictured above, just launched its plant-based poultry in stores yesterday.
  • Meatless meat veteran Quorn, which is available in 18 countries, has a variety of vegetarian and vegan chicken products.
  • Freezer aisle staples Morningstar Farms and Gardein offer plant-based nuggets.

Photo: Beyond Meat

There’s the Beef

That’s not to say alterna-beef is going anywhere. In fact, it’s only going to get eerily closer to the real thing.

I found that out the hard way when I cooked up a package of Beyond Beef, the new, “meatier” ground beef product from Beyond Meat. I haven’t eaten meat in quite a while, but dang — this took me back. The flavor was full of umami and the texture really mimicked the juicy give and bounce of ground beef.

As a vegetarian, that verisimilitude grossed me out. But my colleague Chris Albrecht and my carnivorous roommate were both big fans, though my roommate noted it had a slightly “chemically” taste.

Despite the positive reviews, I think it’ll take a while before people flock to Beyond Beef like they did to the original burger. Right now it costs $9.99 for one pound. That’s roughly on-par with organic, grass-fed beef. Most people I know would rather spring for higher-quality beef — which has a smaller environmental footprint than industrial beef and, some actually argue, a critical role in the ecosystem.

In fact, with its new ground “beef,” Beyond Meat may be entering the Uncanny Valley, something we’ve referenced frequently for humanoid robots but not for meat alternatives. Beyond Beef is almost indistinguishable from beef. But it’s just different enough — slight discrepancies in flavor, aftertaste, and texture — that it could be off-putting.

All that said, I’ll reiterate that I’m a vegetarian and Beyond Beef was too much like the real thing for me to enjoy it. It’s still quite new so we’ll have to see if flexitarians have beef with Beyond’s new offering.

Where in the world is Impossible Foods?

With all this talk about what will be the next hot plant-based meat, it’s easy to overlook the where piece. This week Impossible Foods’ SVP for International made the location question pretty clear when he laid out the startup’s expansion strategy.

One word: Asia.

We’ve seen this coming for a while now. Asia is the new hotspot for alternative protein innovation, both plant- and cell-based. It’s got a ton of consumer demand, a relatively open playing field, and ample manufacturing power. Add to that mixture the recent outbreaks of African swine fever, and Asia seems primed for an alt-meat revolution.

There are also a few local plant-based protein companies gaining traction there, including Omnipork and Phuture Meat. But there are currently lots more U.S. and European players, and they have more funding. We’ll likely see quite a few of them trying to carve out a piece of the Asian alt-protein market before the competition gets too fierce.

Photo: Business Newswire.

Protein ’round the web

  • A new food hall is opening in Providence, RI. The draw? All the businesses inside are entirely plant-based (h/t Forbes).
  • Beyond Meat will be popping up in Blue Apron’s meal kits this summer. Will the plant-based darling’s fame help the struggling meal kit company? Probably not.
  • Integriculture, the Japanese cellular agriculture company, is launching a joint research project with food processing giant NH Foods Ltd. to develop large-scale production processes for cell-based meat.

If you happen to be in Tokyo in August, you can see the founder of Integriculture, Yuki Hanyu, speak on a panel at SKS Japan about the future of protein. Tickets here. 

Be careful what you wish for. Finally, remember how Arby’s made meat into vegetables as a cheeky response to the rise in plant-based meat? Apparently, they got a lot more than they bargained for.

Eat well,
Catherine

Can a Beyond Meat Partnership Help Blue Apron Spike Orders? (Probably Not.)

Today Blue Apron announced it would begin selling Beyond Meat products in its meal kits next month. According to CNBC, this news caused the struggling meal kit company’s stock to rise 33 percent during morning trading.

Blue Apron x Beyond Meat kits will be available starting this August. The kits will feature Beyond’s new “meatier” burger patties. The recipes are basically tricked-up beyond burgers (Caramelized Onion & Cheddar, Jalapeno & Goat Cheese, etc) with a vegetable side.

The choice to add Beyond Meat to their meal kits seems to be Blue Apron’s attempt to appeal to a flexitarian audience. It’s also a way to capitalize on the booming alternative protein market: data released today by the Good Food Institute shows that sales of plant-based foods rose 11 percent in last year alone and that the plant-based meat category is worth $801 million.

But this is also an attempt by Blue Apron to draft off of some of Beyond Meat’s viral success, especially after the plant-based meat company’s news-grabbing IPO boom earlier this year. It’s no secret that Blue Apron has been on a downward spiral lately, struggling to grow and keep a subscriber base. Last month the company had to split its stock to keep it above $1 in order to avoid being delisted on the New York Stock Exchange. It makes sense that they would want to hitch their horse to Beyond, which has had the biggest IPO pop since the 2008 financial crisis — and whose shares are still soaring at a whopping $172 bucks per share (at the time of this writing).

Lately it seems like Blue Apron has been trying everything to stay afloat. It recently partnered with WW (formerly Weight Watchers) and has also tried to follow other meal kit companies into retail with a Costco partnership, which stopped abruptly at the end of last year. They currently have a Jet.com partnership for next-day meal kit delivery (though it’s only in NYC for now).

On Beyond’s part, the Blue Apron partnership seems like a low-risk way to get into more households. This is the plant-based meat company’s second meal delivery partnership. The first is with Trifecta, the pre-made meal delivery service geared towards health-conscious consumers. Seeing as Beyond is trying to do everything and anything it can to grow revenues in the wake of going public, and other meal kits likely want in on this meatless action, I’m guessing we’ll see them entering into more meal kit partnerships coming down the road.

Long-term, the deal might not work out as well for Blue Apron. Despite today’s stock surge, I doubt all the trendy partnerships in the world will save the struggling meal kit company. As my colleague Jenn Marston wrote, if Blue Apron wants to dig itself out from its hole, it needs to make some fundamental shifts to address its core problem: customer acquisition and retention. Adding trendy plant-based meats is one way to draw attention to the service and pick up a few more flexitarian customers, but it won’t solve any underlying issues.

Impossible Foods Targets Asia for Plant-Based Expansion, But It’s Not Alone

Late last week Impossible Foods’ senior vice president for international, Nick Halla, spoke on CNBC about what’s next for the plant-based startup — or really, where’s next. “Asia is by far the number one focus for us,” he stated. “It is core to our mission; core to our business.”

Impossible has actually been edging into Asian markets for a while now: they’re currently in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Macau. But Halla’s interview shows just how intensely they’re setting their sights on the continent.

And honestly, it’s a smart strategy. Allied Market Research reports that the Asia-Pacific region is the fastest-growing market for meat alternatives, and the market isn’t as heavily saturated as it in the U.S. or Europe.

There’s also an environmental angle. Asia is the world’s largest meat producer, and, due to growing populations and shifting diets, meat and seafood consumption is projected to jump 78 percent by 2050. Countries are realizing this isn’t sustainable. For example, two years ago, the Chinese government announced an aim to cut national meat consumption by 50 percent. Pair that with recent food safety scares in the Asian meat industry, and the time seems ripe for protein alternatives.

But Impossible isn’t the only company that sees plant-based potential in Asia. Beyond Meat, Impossible’s most prominent plant-based competitor, has also set its sights on Asia. During the company’s inaugural earnings call, CEO Ethan Brown noted that Beyond would be expanding into areas with high market potential, Asia being one of at the top of the list (alongside South Africa and Chile). Currently, Beyond is available in Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Korea, and Taiwan.

There are also several newer startups making plant-based meat within Asia. Omnipork, which makes meat-free minced pork, and is sold in several Asian countries. Newcomer Phuture Meat also makes a plant-based pork product. It’s notable that both of these companies are focused on pork, which is China’s most consumed meat. I wonder if Impossible will try to develop “pork” products in order to capture more of the local market?

Asia may be on the cusp of a plant-based protein boom, but the region will also play an important role for cultured meat. San Francisco-based startup JUST has stated it will have the first-ever sale of cell-based meat later this year somewhere in Asia. The location choice is mainly spurred by looser regulatory frameworks and the aforementioned growing demand for animal-free meat options.

Until then, though, Asia is fertile soil for international plant-based companies to grow. Impossible would be wise to establish as wide a footprint as possible in Asian countries before more competitors enter the scene.

We’ll be discussing alternative proteins with speakers from JUST and Integriculture at SKS Japan! If you’ll be in Tokyo this August, join us, won’t you?

A Vegetarian’s Review of Beyond Beef — It Might Be Too Meaty

When I first heard Beyond Meat was releasing a ground beef-like product, I immediately started anticipating what I would do with it once I got my hands on a pack. Burgers, sure. But also meatballs, bolognese, even tacos?

Last week I finally got the chance to put those plans into action when I was shopping at my local Whole Foods and my eyes landed on a fresh new lineup of Beyond Beef. I decided to put the Beyond Beef to the test in the simplest way possible: burgers. Coincidentally I also had a pack of Lightlife’s meatless burgers in my fridge, so I opted to cook up both plant-based offerings for comparison’s sake.

Left, Lightlife. Right, Beyond Beef. (Photo: Catherine Lamb)

Beyond Beef looks like ground beef. It has the same reddish hue, texture, and is even speckled with white bits of fat (made from coconut oil). It was easy to shape into a patty shape — perhaps even easier than real beef, which you have to handle very delicately to avoid toughening.

As I cooked the Beyond Beef the fat rendered out and sizzled and the burger changed from red to brown. But it was as soon as I bit into the Beyond Beef burger that I knew something was really different. The texture was exactly like beef (at least the way I remember it): loose and tender, speckled with pockets of juicy fat. By comparison, the Lightlife burger had a tougher texture and their flavor, while meaty, had the off-putting aftertaste that many pea protein products struggle with.

Left: Beyond Beef. Right: Lightlife. (Photo: Catherine Lamb)

In truth, the Beyond Beef was almost too realistic for me. I haven’t eaten meat in five years, and eating a Beyond Beef burger was almost too close to the real thing for comfort. Even when I made the remainder into bolognese later in the week (you guessed it — it cooks up just like ground beef) I had trouble finishing it; the beefy flavor permeated the whole sauce in a way that was a little too strong for my liking.

But the real reason I likely won’t buy Beyond Beef again is why so many others will. Beyond isn’t targeting vegetarians or vegans to buy its products (though many certainly do and will). Instead, they’re hoping to attract flexitarians: people trying to cut down their meat consumption, for health or environmental reasons, but don’t want to give up burgers, meatballs, or tacos. With the new Beyond Beef I think they’ve nailed it.

That said, there’s one big reason Beyond Meat might have trouble capturing a mainstream audience: it’s expensive. A pack of Beyond Beef, which is 16 ounces, cost $9.99 at my local Whole Foods. It has four servings, which means it’s actually a better deal than the Beyond burgers (which cost $5.99 for a pack of two). But it’s still almost triple the price of your average ground beef. Organic, grass-fed beef is roughly the same price as Beyond Beef, but Beyond will have to get its cost down before it can hope to tear the average consumer away from beef.

Photo: Beyond Meat

Separately, I’m curious to see whether Beyond Beef is helped or hurt by the entrance of Impossible Foods into the retail space later this year. Impossible hasn’t yet announced if they’ll be selling their “beef” as burger patties or ground meat. However, seeing how much emphasis the company has been putting on the versatility of its product, I’m guessing it’ll be the latter.

That means we could soon have the two main plant-based meat companies duking it out for ground “beef” supremacy of the grocery aisle. However, I don’t think it’s a winner-take-all situation; when it comes to meatless ground meat, there are so few good-tasting options that there’s likely room for both players to flourish.

And room for more to enter the scene. Startups like U.K.-based Meatless Meat, which is heading onto Whole Foods, are offering new plant-based options in retail. Big Food companies like Tyson and Perdue are also dipping their toes into the alt-protein space with their blended products, which combine meat and plants. Just this week Gardein, which is owned by Conagra, announced it’s developing its own line of meat-like meat alternatives, including a burger that looks a heckuva lot like Beyond Meat’s.

Despite the competition ahead, with its versatility, Beyond Beef is a great step by the company to bring plant-based meat to consumers’ plates in a variety of different dishes. Just not mine.

Future Food: A Very Plant-Based Fourth of July, Plus a Glimpse Into Our BBQ Future

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If you live in ‘Merica, it’s very likely that you will be partaking in some grilling at some point today. Maybe there will be some meaty plant-based meat options on the menu? You’ve got plenty to choose from, but if you’re bringing Beyond burgers or sausages to the party and aren’t exactly sure how to cook them, don’t worry — we’ve got the guide.

If you’re one of the lucky ones that already has Beyond Beef in their local grocery store, you could even form your own burger patties, maybe stuff them with cheese (vegan or otherwise) to make a Jucy Lucy? For those that do, be sure to send us a Tweet or a photo and let us know how it goes.

Impossible burgers aren’t available in retail yet, so you won’t be able to toss one on the grill today. But if you’re craving that “bleeding,” heme-heavy umami flavor, you could order one for delivery (assuming all the restaurants around you aren’t closed). According to a recent Grubhub report, Impossible Burgers are experiencing a huge boom in popularity for delivery — especially on late-night orders. Plant-based nightcap, anyone?

4th of July, 2025

Grilling meatless meats is about as radical as we’ll get in 2019 in terms of futuristic food ingredients. But looking ahead to a few years down the road, what sort of newfangled foods will be tossing on the barbie then?

It seems safe to assume there will be even more realistic plant-based meat options in the future, priced roughly on par with (or even cheaper than) traditional meat. We’ll also probably see some better vegan cheese, since the options available now are… not amazing. I’m really excited for the day when I can taste cheddar made from dairy by Perfect Day or New Culture, two startups creating animal-free milk. Unlike current vegan cheese options, their offerings will melt and taste exactly like cheese because, well, they are cheese. Just without the cow.

But let’s consider an even more out-there vision of future Fourth of July barbecues. There’s a very real chance we’ll see alt-meats made with protein created from CO2. That’s what Finnish company Solar Foods is working on. They plan to have solein — their protein made through a technology called gas fermentation — to market by 2021. That timeline strikes me as overly ambitious, but by 2025 I wouldn’t be surprised if solein makes an appearance on our grills in the guise of alt-meats.

Then of course there’s cell-based meat. By 2025 at least a few cultured meat products will hopefully already be to market, so we could theoretically be barbecuing chicken, steaks, pork sausages and salmon filets grown entirely in bioreactors. Chances are, cell-based meat products will still be relatively expensive, but also worth it for the thrill of asking your BBQ guests how they like their cultured burger.

Photo: Good Catch Foods

Protein ’round the web

  • American BBQ chain Famous Dave’s is testing out Beyond Meat sliders, tacos, and bowls in five locations.
  • This week a Mississippi law went into effect which stated that plant- and insect-based products can’t be labeled as meat. The Plant Based Food Association and meat alternative company Upton’s natural are suing them (h/t Food Navigator).
  • Good Catch Foods, whose plant-based tuna is available in Whole Foods, just raised $10 million. It’ll use the new dough to develop more fish-free products, like “crab” cakes and “fish” patties.

Finally, if you’re feeling very ambitious you could try cooking a plant-based sausage in a Pringle’s can. PSA: We have not tried this and can in no way promise that it will turn out okay. But it is cool looking.

Eat well,
Catherine