Health Farm

Seems almost every fast-food marketer wants to bite into the market for plant-based burgers. And why not, given the fake meat category’s mouth-watering growth, which some pundits say is likely to slice $40 billion from the $270 billion US meat market.

News that a plant-based Impossible Burger increased foot traffic by 18 percent at 59 St. Louis Burger King locations illustrates the pulling power of plant-based menu options. Now the king of burgers is gearing up to put the Impossible Burger on the menu across the US.

Burger binge

It’s not just burger chains getting in on the plant-based burger binge. Nestle, through its Sweet Earth brand, is set to launch vegan meat substitute Awesome Burger through grocery stores, restaurants and universities, giving Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods a run for their meat-free money.

Meanwhile Tyson Foods, which previously held a stake in Beyond Meat, is about to launch its own range of meatless products. Kellogg’s Morningstar Farms brand plans to be entirely plant-based by 2021.

Tested on animals

Say, what? ‘fraid so. In a bid to churn out meatless burgers that satisfy vegans, burger makers are incorporating some rather strange sounding ingredients – which must be tested for safety.

Impossible uses a key ingredient called soy leghemoglobin (heme) in its vegan meatless patties. 180 rats were killed during testing. This naturally caused the company’s CEO, Pat Brown – a vegan – much existential pain.