Plant-based burgers from Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods were made to resemble beef and appeal to meat eaters, but those same qualities can be off-putting to some vegetarians, Alicia Kennedy writes. Some restaurants are replacing traditional veggie burgers with the meatier plant-based variety, while others are offering both options.
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A&W Canada will start selling plant-based burgers from Beyond Meat at all of its restaurants beginning July 9, making it the first chain in the country to offer the burger. A&W Canada is the country's second-largest burger chain, and the deal marks Beyond Meat's biggest foodservice contract thus far.
A facility that will produce veggie burgers made from biotech yeast cells, wheat, potato protein, coconut fat and heme was launched by Impossible Foods in Oakland, Calif. The facility is expected to produce 1 million pounds of plant-based meat monthly when running at full capacity, enough to supply 1,000 restaurants.
Impossible Food's plant-based burger gets its meat-like flavor and texture from an artificial blood made from a molecule called heme. The plant-derived liquid gives the burgers their pinkish color and allows them to brown and sizzle like real meat.
Food manufacturer Beyond Meat says its new line of meatless burgers will help satisfy meat lovers with its blend of plant-based protein and canola, sunflower and coconut oils. The moistness helps mimic the experience of eating beef. The patty has slightly less fat than a traditional burger, but
most of the fat in the vegetarian burger is unsaturated.
The Vegetarian Butcher, a Dutch company, says it has developed delicious plant-based substitutes for meat products but that it has had trouble scaling up its operations to go mainstream. The company makes burger patties, chicken, mince and other products.