Beyond Meat 'Beyond Burger' patties made from plant-based substitutes for meat products sit on a shelf for sale. — AFP pic
JBS, the world's largest beef producer, has been marketing a soy burger in Brazil since the summer, which contains beets, garlic and onions and is similar to a rare ground beef. Regardless of whether it is the start of a new trend, or a passing fancy, the agri-food giants do not want to miss the opportunity.But unlike the upstart alternative meat companies, which cite the carbon footprint of raising cows and other livestock, traditional players have a harder time using environmental or animal rights arguments to promote their products.
These products jumped into the headlines this year with their introduction in fast food chains, such as Burger King's Impossible Burger, and with Beyond Meat's spectacular Wall Street debut.At Hormel, the Happy Little Plants brand “moved swiftly from a conceptual idea rooted in the 'plant curious' consumer... to a commercially viable product line in just under 13 weeks,” Kreske said.
“For dairy, there's really a health reason” to not consume milk products, including allergies, said Perdue's Christianson.Still, the alternative meat segment could become “significant,” he said.