Herbal meat is not good for your health



[ad_1]

There are currently two main dynamic players in the market for herbal "meat": Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods.

In 2013, Whole Foods offered her new venture, Beyond Meat, herbal meat, selling her vegan "chicken" strips to Whole Foods establishments across the country. Bill Gates Billionaires and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone were the first to believe and invest in this product.

"We launched Beyond Meat as their launch platform, and I think all of their new products have been introduced to Whole Foods," CNBC Make It, CEO and co-founder of Whole Foods, John Mackey, told CNBC.

A year later, Beyond Meat developed its first vegetable protein "beef" product, which later became its now-famous Beyond Burger in 2016. (The company has since brought recipe updates to its In June, Beyond Meat announced that its new recipe uses a "blend of pea protein, mung beans and rice".

In the same year, Impossible Foods, another new meat company, launched its beef burger alternative made from soy protein concentrate at restaurants. Momofuku Nishi in New York started serving the Impossible Burger in July 2016. The company is also supported by Bill Gates.

Today, Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have exploded.

In May, Beyond Meat recorded its best IPO in 2019, with a rise of more than 163% the day it debuted on the market, in addition to making large deals with Carl's Jr., Dunkin, Del Taco and TGI Friday, among others. And Impossible Foods products are now in approximately 10,000 restaurants, including White Castle, Red Robin and Burger King, and are expected to hit grocery stores in September.

The market for meat substitutes is expected to reach $ 2.5 billion by 2023, according to Euromonitor estimates.

But Mackey, who has been a vegan for over 20 years, is not convinced by the health benefits of herbal meats.

"The [brands] that captivate people's imagination – and I will not name these brands because I am afraid of being associated with criticism, "says Mackey," but some of them that are extremely popular now the world of assault, if you look at the ingredients, these are super processed foods. "

According to the Beyond Meat website, the ingredients of her herbal patties include water, pea protein isolate, pressure pressed canola oil, coconut oil refined, rice protein and other natural flavors, including apple extract and beet juice (for color). The ingredients for the Impossible Foods hamburger include water, soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil, potato protein, soy leghemoglobin (a group of proteins found in animals and plants) and other natural flavors, according to his website.

"I do not think eating highly processed foods is healthy, I think people like to eat whole foods," says Mackey. "In terms of health, I will not support it and it's pretty much the biggest criticism I'll make in public."

And Mackey is not alone. Some dieticians are also not completely sold to the madness of herbal burgers.

"They are not necessarily healthier than beef burgers," Alissa Rumsey told CNBC in July. "They are quite good to eat, but there is no need to replace your beef burger if you do not like these," Rumsey added, noting that herbal burgers and traditional beef burgers contain the same amount of sodium and are saturated. fat.

Mackey, on the other hand, believes that herbal meats are a more ethical choice and are better for the environment than ordinary meats. And research has confirmed these claims.

According to a study commissioned by Beyond Meat with the Center for Sustainable Systems of the University of Michigan, the herbal burger generates 90% less greenhouse gas emissions, requires 45% more energy. 39, less energy, has 99% less impact on water scarcity less impact on land use than a quarter of a pound of traditional American beef .

According to Fast Company, Americans switching from beef pastries to plants would mean taking 12 million cars off the road for a whole year.

Even considering his concerns about the health of products, Mackey says that there is at least a good food argument for herbal meat: "Many people say … that [plant-based] meat is a transitional food, that is, a means of [people] start to re-educate [their] "This is a good first step to wean meat people," he says.

Mackey says most Americans would not like to eat like he does (he eats 15 fruits and vegetables a day) because their taste buds are used to a diet that includes a lot of processed foods.

"The reason these herbal meats have conquered the world is that they have a taste very similar to that of ordinary meats, whereas if you have a [healthy] Black bean burger with flax seeds and sweet potatoes, it's going to taste good for me, "he says, but not for most people.

Mackey says the good news is that people can rehabilitate their palates to "enjoy just about anything" by regularly eating something that they usually did not like before.

"I like fruits and vegetables," he says, as it has caused his taste buds to love them.

Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comments Make It.

Do you like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook.

Do not miss:

Why the CEO of Whole Foods never nibbles, barely drinks water and travels with a rice cooker

Whole Foods, CEO of Life with Amazon: "It's like a wedding – I love them 98% of the time"

Neuroscientist: sometimes skip breakfast and 2 other simple tips to improve your brain's performance

John Mackey, co-founder and co-CEO of Whole Foods Market

Dustin Finkelstein | Getty Images

[ad_2]

Source link