5 ms·
The content of the article doesn't really square with the pessimistic title? Yes, sales aren't exploding like they were in the last couple of years, but that's
by dustintrex 5y ago
The content of the article doesn't really square with the pessimistic title? Yes, sales aren't exploding like they were in the last couple of years, but that's because Impossible & co have been on the market for a while and still cost more than regular meat.
If they become equal or less in price than meat, they'll go from a slightly indulgent curiosity into a viable alternative. And there's also a lot of potential in plant-based chicken and seafood, neither of which (in my limited experience anyway) are anywhere close to replicating the original taste and texture.
- mattwad 5y agoQorn is a near perfect replacement for chicken nuggets.. but then I can barely tell what's in chicken nuggets anyway!
- LoveMortuus 5y agoI mean... When you buy an Apple you also don't get an apple but instead get a phone. :P
- 9387367 5y agoSo perfect, the list of ingredients is full of crap and not vegan, which surprised me and may be hurting their sales. > Frozen Quorn Crispy Nuggets > Mycoprotein (39%), Water, Rehydrated Free Range Egg White, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamine), Vegetable Oils (Sunflower, Rapeseed), Salt, Maize Flour, Wheat Starch, Milk Proteins, Textured Wheat Protein (Wheat Protein, Wheat Flour), Natural Flavouring, Raising Agents: Tetrasodium Diphosphate, Sodium Carbonate; Pea Fibre, Firming Agents: Calcium Chloride, Calcium Acetate; Wheat Gluten, Gelling Agent: Pectin; Dextrose.
- cies 5y agoThought in Oz (their home market) Quorn is fully vegan already, and they are working on it everywhere else. (Just hearsay, haven't been to Oz in a while and with the current political climate I'm not too interested)
- grvdrm 5y agoThis is pretty fascinating. Meat alternatives are sometimes packed full of other ingredients. I try to use a simple rule when I substitute one food for another: consume things with the fewest number of ingredients. Otherwise, is that alternative truly healthier? Not so sure.
- cies 5y agoMeat can hide a lot of ingredients behind one: the animal. Maybe they fed the animal rubbish (likely in case of cheap meat), stuff that changes the color of meat and preventive antibiotics amongst other medicine cocktails. Meat (and dairy and eggs for that matter) also comes with all kinds of hormones, as it is from an animal not much unlike the creatures we are ourselves. So those hormones also affect our system. Yes plant-based "fake meats" have more ingredients, while also having less of the downsides of animal foods (saturated fats, sulfur-rich protein, hormones, high levels of persistent "forever chemicals"). So the choice is yours. From what I know the plant-based alternatives are usually healthier. If you want to reach the next level use traditional meat replacers: lentils, beans, nuts, tofu, tempeh, soy-skin.
- grvdrm 5y agoI think you're making my point for me, but it is well said - breaking into simple ingredients like lentils and beans is a good start. For what it's worth, I'm not suggesting meat is any less of an offender. Just instead that something that can be pitched as meat-alternative and still be full of crap. And it's worth looking into those ingredients to make an informed decision about what's healthy/not (putting aside other non-health benefits of avoiding meat)
- igetspam 5y agoBeing the healthier alternative isn't the goal. The intent is to be the green alternative or the kind alternative. Thinking it's inherently healthier is something I hear more from detractors than supporters. I eat meat alternatives because I like meat but believe in climate science and like animals. I'm not pretending I'm on a diet.
- mint2 5y agoIt’s definitely highly processed like many meat imitations, but aside from the processing the ingredients themselves don’t seem too bad. It would be nice if the eggs and milk were gone. But it’s a small amount and overall way better than actual chicken. Maybe some ingredients are hidden in the processing, but which ones do you find objectionable?
- shoto_io 5y agoIt’s definitely not chicken…
- cute_boi 5y agoit's not vegan too I don't understand this product? Is it for vegetarian?
- mint2 5y agoIt’s also for people who simply look to eat less meat, but aren’t strict vegetarians.
- detaro 5y agoWhat's so hard to understand about vegetarian products?
- cies 5y agoVegetarian is hard to understand once looking from an ethical perspective. Why is the chicken flesh bad, but the eggs okay while producing those eggs also has chicken killed? Same for dairy. It seems vegetarians are okay with lifelong encagement, and eventual killing, as long as they dont have to eat it. Leather is "vegetarian", and so are wool and silk.
- weeblewobble 5y agowait, do they kill chickens after they lay eggs?
- cies 5y agoThey do not go to chicken retirement houses after they age beyond peak egg production. Also the males are not needed of breeding breeds, they go straight to the wood chopper after they've hatched.
- mint2 5y ago
- totony 5y agoI think there's a lot of variation in chicken taste so it's pretty hard to have a perfect replacement. Not sure why creates such a big range of taste
- mint2 5y agoQuorn was my best discover this year. It’s been a long time since I’ve had real chicken nuggets though I do occasionally eat chicken, but at this point I find quorn better than actual chicken nuggets.
- tekromancr 5y agoIMO, May Wah has absolutely nailed the texture and taste of chicken, particularly if you season it.
- cute_boi 5y agowell the pricing doesn't makes sense atm if we compare the subsidies received by animal industry. Also I think pricing would be comparable if plant based industry enjoys the same amount of subsidiary.
- cies 5y agoSubsidy, and scale. The meat business is huge. Once plant-based alternatives have more than half the market the price will come down a lot, which will increase demand further.
- wyager 5y ago> If they become equal or less in price than meat, they'll go from a slightly indulgent curiosity into a viable alternative This would only be true if it weren’t significantly worse in both taste and health risk than actual meat. I think fake meat as it exists now would have to be a lot cheaper than actual meat for most people to be willing to switch to it.
- unpolloloco 5y agoTaste is highly contextual for these products. A badly cooked impossible burger is WAY better than a badly cooked meat burger imho. A meat burger that's cooked well is better than the same for an impossible burger (also imho). So...they're getting pretty close. Health-wise is highly debatable as well (I'd claim functional equivalence there, though there are people in both camps). Neither is good for you!
- wyager 5y ago> Neither is good for you! I disagree very strongly. Ruminants are a huge fraction of my ancestors’ diet (possibly a caloric majority) over evolutionary timescales, so it should come as no surprise that ruminants are not only better for me than extruded pea protein, but one of the best possible foods for me.