Here an interesting quote[0] from the founder of Impossible Burger that kind of touches on the meatless vs vegetarian/vegan discussion happening a lot in this thread:
"[Before becoming a vegan] I loved putting milk in my coffee and cereal, but plant-based milks don’t work for me so far. No-one is trying very hard to deliver the full experience of what consumers value from milk. We don’t want to follow the course of soya and almond milk. We’re after 100% of the market, not a niche of people avoiding meat or being health conscious.
To capture the whole market you have to deliver whatever it is that consumers value from that category of product. People have been making veggie burgers forever but not trying to make something that replicates the crave-able experience that meat lovers enjoy."
As far as I can tell, I'm the target demographic for this.
I eat beef (and other meat) burgers because I like how they taste. If this comes close, I'll gladly switch, even though they cost a little more. I'm far from vegetarian, but I've been thinking more and more that I'd like to slim down on my actual meat eating for a few reasons, including the environment, the animal living conditions, and the cholesterol.
The one thing I'm not happy about is trading fat for carbs. I'd rather stick to the protein and fat. But no solution is going to be perfect.
Same. I tried the impossible burger recently and was pleasantly surprised - it's as good as meat in my view. As a moral matter I will never eat meat when the Impossible variant is available.
I've been eating the Beyond Meat (pea protein) burger from A&W for a while now. It's pretty damn close to the taste of beef, I'm happy to make the switch. It has an aftertaste that some might describe as metallic, but you really have to look for it, it's not that strong.
What shocked me was how much the taste of a burger comes down to texture. There's enough toppings on burgers that you don't really get the beef taste anyways, the patty is really just there for texture!
Have you actually been diagnosed with high cholesterol or is this just preventative? You probably don't have to worry unless your diet has already been causing a problem. Lots of people eat terribly and their bloodwork comes back with flying colors.
The issue I have, is that this shouldn't cost more at all. They're literally charging more to process the food they're feeding the cows into something meat-like than it costs to actually buy the meat. If the cows are a less expensive process, then I'm just not into it.
(Aside from the fact that I can't handle legumes anyway)
I lived in England for a bit and remember fast food places commonly having veggie burgers. This was both in Burger King and McDonald's. It was super convenient for that occasional quick bite.
In the US, Burger King has been supplying veggie patties for some time, but I wonder why it took American fast food places so long to expand. For instance, why is there still an absence of veggie burgers in a typical US McDonald's? Is this a business decision or something else?
I wonder what the cost basis is of an Impossible Burger vs. a beef patty.
The meat industry has built up some economies of scale but it's hard to believe that raising and slaughtering cows is the most cost effective way to feed people protein.
Keep in mind that cattle ranchers and feed suppliers also receive subsidies that artificially lower the price of meat in America.
Quantifying the exact impact of this is muddled by polarized articles on both sides, a complicated supply chain, and the fact that the alternatives industry also benefits in subsidies indirectly. Still, it seems to be the case that meat alternatives are facing an uphill battle on cost due to subsidies.
I can "buy" a cow from a local farmer and they will raise it and slaughter it and deliver all the meat butchered from the cow. It provides nearly a year's supply of meat, at much lower cost than buying similar amounts from the grocery store. If more people followed suit of buying local farm direct then the whole thing would be better off.
I am not a vegan. But I do hold a lot of environmental values.
There is a LOT of interesting writing on the economy of the meat industrial complex.
In essence: It is totally propped up by with subsidies from the US Government. They LOSE money on every cow slaughtered. They destroy our planet. All of the profits go to the billionaire farm owners who lobby to keep the laws in place. It is so horribly corrupt.
Personally, I find it disgusting that we give hand-outs so these billionaire ranchers can:
- Feed us unhealthy food
- Destroy the environment with greenhouse gasses and farm run-off
- Take up MASSIVE amounts of space
- Use massive amounts of water
- Create drug-resistant bacteria by pumping the animals full of antibiotics
- create horrible living conditions for animals and suppress anti-meat propaganda with ag-gag laws
- Pay their workers in the factory farm a pittance to do depressing, disgusting work so the owners can hoover up all of the profit.
had my first impossible burger this weekend. the patty itself was like 6oz and cost $15 just for the burger (no fries). i'm in NYC and even this is a bit high for the area. it was also sitting on a large bun topped with lettuce/tomorrow. the patty was overwhelmed. I thought it tasted just ok and would give it a C. The whopper patty tastes better IMO.
You likely had the impossible 1.0, which is supposed to be inferior. I've had the 1.0, and it was decent. The 2.0 is very hard to find, even in California, but easy to find the 1.0.
yup, in LA there's monty's ( https://montysgoodburger.com/ ). it's similarly priced ($16, i think), but that's too much for a mediocre burger. to be fair, it usually has a line. but for that price, it really needs to be comparable to father's office or plan check, which are both delicious.
Whopper patties IMHO are the worst fast food burger patties. Sometimes they're over-microwaved and on the border of inedible. I can't imagine an impossible burger tasting worse.
This is nice for all the reasons mentioned but honestly I'm probably not going to ever eat it until it makes its way onto the value menu. I don't go to fast food to get a $5 burger, I go there to get a $1.55 burger. I can't be the only one.
Well at some point we will have to reckon with the economics of how a $1.55 burger comes to be. It's simply not possible without sacrificing health, animal welfare, and the environment. Not trying to be preachy about this, but in a cheap meal there are many costs upstream which you pay for one way or another, just not at the counter.
I wonder if there's a big market at Taco Bell, the reason I say that is because Taco Bell has beans, which is a just fine protein for me at least. I personally don't feel like I need anything else if I've got beans. Though, honestly, Chipotle and Moe's both have a tofu option though.
This is great news, and hopefully it can make its way to Europe soon. I was always a big fan of the Whopper and excited to try this.
What I am still baffled about is how the Linda McCartney range of vegetarian products has not made it to the US yet. The Mozzarella burger in that range tastes absolutely phenomenal (very meaty) and is great value (€2 for packet of 2). Would highly recommend anyone to check this out if in Ireland or the UK (Tesco or Waitrose always have them in stock).
I like White Castle impossible burgers . But, I actually liked the veggie burgers that Burger King already had . I expect Impossible ones being a step up.
Unfortunately I don't live in an area with White Castle. I've tried an Impossible burger at a more "premium" burger place, Wahlburgers. I've also tried one at a local mom and pop that tested them for a week. I am excited to potentially have some healthier discount/fast food options in my area. I can't wait until BK rolls out here, I will be one of the first in line.
So... I pay a little extra for the BK Impossible Burger. I find its taste dead on. Awesome! But... how do I know some penny pinching Burger King franchise owner isn't just using regular beef patties for both regular burgers and Impossible Burgers? ;-)
The current Morningstar veggie patties at Burger King are microwaved so no cross contamination with the conveyor belt cooking contraption that cooks the meat patties. Maybe they'll do the same with the Impossible patties.
I'm interested in meatless burgers because the field can expand so much: being able to get the taste, the smell and texture of a meal without the "classic" ingredients.
Honest question: if people decide to adopt this veggie diet, will we see a change in average height? Protein or not, most cultures with veggie cuisines have much shorter people.
On similar news; McDonalds also rolled out a vegan burger in Germany today. It's apparently only a test run but I hope it stays considering it's pretty damn good.
The Impossible Burger uses coconut oil which is 90% saturated fat the highest of any oil. Saturated fat causes a spike in bad cholesterol. Beef fat has saturated fat but it's only at 40% of the total.
Even heme the thing that makes the burger look bloody is even worse foe health than the coconut oil. Of all the things in red meat heme is the thing that causes the most harm and it's in the Impossible Burger.
I'm not vegetarian but I do eat mainly plants with low meat consumption. I like the concept of vegetable-based burgers for diet reasons (not morality/ethics) but the Impossible Burger with coconut oil and heme seems very unhealthy.
Of course — all food has good and bad qualities, the question here is really: Is it unhealthier than a beef burger? With all other qualities being equal or better?
For example: Coconut oil may have the highest % of saturated fat, but that data point isn't relevant unless we know how much they put in each impossible burger, and compare that to the amount of fat in ground beef. I.e. despite that percentage, _per burger_ a beef burger might still give you more saturated fat.
I aim to eat a high fat diet and I never avoid salt (my constitution appears to handle even very high salt intake without the common ill effects). So to me, the impossible burger is perfectly healthy. I'd only worry about trading too much protein for carbs.
[+] [-] goda90|7 years ago|reply
"[Before becoming a vegan] I loved putting milk in my coffee and cereal, but plant-based milks don’t work for me so far. No-one is trying very hard to deliver the full experience of what consumers value from milk. We don’t want to follow the course of soya and almond milk. We’re after 100% of the market, not a niche of people avoiding meat or being health conscious.
To capture the whole market you have to deliver whatever it is that consumers value from that category of product. People have been making veggie burgers forever but not trying to make something that replicates the crave-able experience that meat lovers enjoy."
[0]https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/08...
[+] [-] wccrawford|7 years ago|reply
I eat beef (and other meat) burgers because I like how they taste. If this comes close, I'll gladly switch, even though they cost a little more. I'm far from vegetarian, but I've been thinking more and more that I'd like to slim down on my actual meat eating for a few reasons, including the environment, the animal living conditions, and the cholesterol.
The one thing I'm not happy about is trading fat for carbs. I'd rather stick to the protein and fat. But no solution is going to be perfect.
[+] [-] ALittleLight|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nradov|7 years ago|reply
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/dietary-cholesterol-doe...
[+] [-] chrisco255|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jbob2000|7 years ago|reply
What shocked me was how much the taste of a burger comes down to texture. There's enough toppings on burgers that you don't really get the beef taste anyways, the patty is really just there for texture!
[+] [-] jimmaswell|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tracker1|7 years ago|reply
(Aside from the fact that I can't handle legumes anyway)
[+] [-] hhs|7 years ago|reply
In the US, Burger King has been supplying veggie patties for some time, but I wonder why it took American fast food places so long to expand. For instance, why is there still an absence of veggie burgers in a typical US McDonald's? Is this a business decision or something else?
[+] [-] everdev|7 years ago|reply
The meat industry has built up some economies of scale but it's hard to believe that raising and slaughtering cows is the most cost effective way to feed people protein.
[+] [-] DogOnTheWeb|7 years ago|reply
Quantifying the exact impact of this is muddled by polarized articles on both sides, a complicated supply chain, and the fact that the alternatives industry also benefits in subsidies indirectly. Still, it seems to be the case that meat alternatives are facing an uphill battle on cost due to subsidies.
[+] [-] mfatica|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] criddell|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Animats|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] honkycat|7 years ago|reply
There is a LOT of interesting writing on the economy of the meat industrial complex.
In essence: It is totally propped up by with subsidies from the US Government. They LOSE money on every cow slaughtered. They destroy our planet. All of the profits go to the billionaire farm owners who lobby to keep the laws in place. It is so horribly corrupt.
Personally, I find it disgusting that we give hand-outs so these billionaire ranchers can:
- Feed us unhealthy food
- Destroy the environment with greenhouse gasses and farm run-off
- Take up MASSIVE amounts of space
- Use massive amounts of water
- Create drug-resistant bacteria by pumping the animals full of antibiotics
- create horrible living conditions for animals and suppress anti-meat propaganda with ag-gag laws
- Pay their workers in the factory farm a pittance to do depressing, disgusting work so the owners can hoover up all of the profit.
Check out https://meatonomics.com/ for more information.
[+] [-] rottyguy|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] shin_lao|7 years ago|reply
It's better than a typical veggie burger for sure but will definitely not choose it over meat.
[+] [-] shaklee3|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] clairity|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] PorterDuff|7 years ago|reply
Wait, what?
[+] [-] turtlebits|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dsfyu404ed|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ndespres|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dfxm12|7 years ago|reply
The meat-free burger will cost customers about one dollar more than the beef version.
https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/1/18290336/burger-king-impos...
[+] [-] pastor_elm|7 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] bluetidepro|7 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] OisinMoran|7 years ago|reply
What I am still baffled about is how the Linda McCartney range of vegetarian products has not made it to the US yet. The Mozzarella burger in that range tastes absolutely phenomenal (very meaty) and is great value (€2 for packet of 2). Would highly recommend anyone to check this out if in Ireland or the UK (Tesco or Waitrose always have them in stock).
[+] [-] zitterbewegung|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] Consultant32452|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] cm2012|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bovermyer|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] akeck|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] RavingGoat|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] varelaz|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] duxup|7 years ago|reply
Having said that I find that fast food burgers already taste "like" a burger and are a bit off anyway.
Replacing my home made burgers, going to be dang hard with some kind of substitute.
[+] [-] mrfusion|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] edgarvaldes|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wemdyjreichert|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zaarn|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dghughes|7 years ago|reply
Even heme the thing that makes the burger look bloody is even worse foe health than the coconut oil. Of all the things in red meat heme is the thing that causes the most harm and it's in the Impossible Burger.
I'm not vegetarian but I do eat mainly plants with low meat consumption. I like the concept of vegetable-based burgers for diet reasons (not morality/ethics) but the Impossible Burger with coconut oil and heme seems very unhealthy.
[+] [-] 24gttghh|7 years ago|reply
new recipe: 40% saturated fat per 4oz serving. [1]
ground beef: 37% saturated fat per 4oz serving.[2]
[0]https://faq.impossiblefoods.com/hc/en-us/articles/3600217292...
[1]https://faq.impossiblefoods.com/hc/en-us/articles/3600189392...
[2]https://www.nutritionix.com/food/ground-beef
I've eaten the original impossible burger, and I can't wait to try the new version.
[+] [-] matthewtoast|7 years ago|reply
For example: Coconut oil may have the highest % of saturated fat, but that data point isn't relevant unless we know how much they put in each impossible burger, and compare that to the amount of fat in ground beef. I.e. despite that percentage, _per burger_ a beef burger might still give you more saturated fat.
The same goes for the concern about heme.
[+] [-] phil248|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] seriousaccount1|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] TehCorwiz|7 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|7 years ago|reply
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