Most people only really got to hear about Beyond Meat when the company listed (Q2 2019). My immediate reaction (and I am sure shared by others) – veggie patties have been around for as long as most of us can remember, what can they do differently, and what is so special about a Beyond Meat burger?
Well, lets perform a proper analysis:
Is it good for you? At first glance, it does seem like one of those miracle products, but when you look a bit closer, all is not well. It may be better than eating a beef burger, but very inferior relative to eating the actual vegetables. It is a very refined product that contains coconut oil, protein isolate, modified corn starch, colourants and a number of other products that you will not find in natural products. Even the vegetable ingredients are limited to just pea protein isolate and potato starch and something called beetroot red which seems to be just a colourant. Lean beef in moderation is considered fine and certainly a lot more natural than some of the ingredients used in the Beyond Meat burger.
Is it good for the environment? Once again, at first glance – yes. No animal protein is needed, and we don’t have to worry about the environmental impact of raising cattle. The company claims to supply 58 000 retail outlets in 50 countries. That is a lot of jet fuel used to move your burger from the factory in California to the corner health café in Soho. Most competing products are sourced from a lot closer neighbourhoods.
Does it taste nice? It does taste nice, but not too dissimilar to other veggie burgers. I don’t think any meat eaters will be fooled into thinking that it tastes like meat. The concept of a Beyond Beef burger bleeding also sounds a bit daft, given that beef mince is already bled out and even a rare beef burger does not bleed. I am also not sure how many vegetarians and vegans would want to eat a bleeding burger.
Is it cost effective? The short answer: No. At Tesco, two Beyond Meat burgers costs £5, and this equates to over £22 per kilogramme. This is more expensive than Norwegian Salmon, and a lot more expensive than beef burgers. If you consider that it is made from pea protein and potato starch, the price does seem ridiculous. You can certainly purchase a lot of good wholesome vegetables for £22. In many other cities around the world, the price is much higher and, in some cases, over 50% higher than Tesco’s. Other vegetarian burgers cost about ¼ the price of a Beyond Meat burger.
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