Plant Burgers, anyone?

One of the more interesting initial public offerings lately has been that of Beyond Meat (BYND). The company’s stated mission is to be the “Future of Protein” – delicious plant-based crumbles, sausages and more – made directly from simple plant-based ingredients. With all alternative food products, it all comes down to taste. Regardless of how healthy something is supposed to be for you, if it tastes bad, it’s not going to work.

The company was started as a California based startup in 2009. It began selling its chicken-free mock chicken products in Whole Foods supermarkets across the U.S. in 2013. It went public earlier this year and has been one of the few new issues to do well in the open market.

So, what about the taste? I found myself heading to Target last week, as they are a distributor of the Beyond Meat burgers. A pack of two costs $5.99 and they are a bit smaller than the typical burger patty. I grilled them and, I have to admit, they taste pretty good. Different, for sure, but not bad at all!

One of their competitors is Impossible Foods (impossiblefoods.com). They have an edge at the moment as they have their Impossible meat being distributed by Burger King as an “Impossible Whopper”. You are also much more likely to find them on a menu at a local restaurant than Beyond Meat.

Meat substitutes are hailed as having many benefits above and beyond the nutritional benefits to humans. Less reliance on livestock supposedly lessens the environmental damage from methane production. I don’t know enough about those topics to comment.

There are some noticeable differences between the Impossible and Beyond meat substitutes.  Beyond burgers contain 270 calories versus 240 for the Impossible burgers. The primary protein source for Beyond is Pea, whereas Impossible’s main source is soy. Lots of research to be done on that one. Personal preferences will also influence the decision.

It is too early in the game to determine what impact alternatives meats will have, let alone cast an opinion on the stock. Will it be a fad? Will it take over? Will it be a complimentary vegan item on the menu. We will see.

Sources: Company websites, Wikipedia, ” Fake Meat Smackdown”, Nicole Dieker, Skillet

This article is intended for informational purposes only. It is based on information gathered from sources believed to be reliable and my own personal experience. It is not meant as financial or investment advice and should not be relied upon as such.