Beyond Meat is Shaking up Carnivore Culture

For committed vegans, most existing cheese, meat and dairy alternatives are a passable, even delicious protein option. Who cares if vegan cheese doesn’t melt, stretch and bubble when placed atop a pizza? For those who eschew cheese, the savory, umami flavors of salt, fat and spices are satisfying enough. But for the vast subset of Americans who don’t consider a meal complete unless meat or dairy is involved, traditional substitutes such as tofu, seitan, tempeh or good ol’ fashioned beans and greens is a tough sell.

We get it. There’s an eidetic quality about cooking meat—the smell alone seems to awaken the primal part of our brain, conjuring images of summer barbecues, Thanksgiving dinner and a dormant memory buried deep within our DNA that tells us eating meat means survival. Yet for someone who eats meat often, plant-based proteins signal not satiety, but scarcity.

Luckily, we’re entering an era in which innovation in plant-based protein has reached a level of sophistication where everyone—your meat-loving, deer-hunting Uncle Herb included—can consider such alternatives. Beyond Meat’s newly launched Beyond Burger is a prime example of how “meat” made from plants has potential to radically overhaul a food as iconic as the burger. Made with a vegan ingredient blend including pea protein isolate, coconut oil, yeast extract, non-GMO food starch and potato starch, the Beyond Burger differs from traditional bean-and-rice veggie burgers because it has the appearance of raw meat. It’s sold nestled inside a package similar to prepared burger patties. When thrown onto a grill, it sizzles, chars, crisps and burns just like the real thing—some testers say it even “bleeds,” a result of beet juice extract added to the extruded ingredients to lend the burger a realistic appearance. It’s not an exact replica, but it’s close.

Found in the Meat Department

Even more audacious, rather than merchandise the product next to traditional protein replacements such as seitan, tempeh and tofu (often found in the produce section of grocery stores), Beyond Meat works with natural retailers to sell the Beyond Burger right next to the meat—the animal-based meat.

“In this way, we can help people on their journey to eating more plant-based by allowing them to purchase plant-based foods in the section of the store where they are already purchasing other forms of protein,” explains Beyond Meat on its website. The idea is to nudge shoppers perusing the meat case toward plant-based options. While Beyond Meat’s products are suitable for strict vegans, the brand is clearly trying to access consumers who would never even think of purchasing a veggie burger for dinner.