Do vegan/vegetarians really want something that reminds them of meat products? Why not just make a good meat-free sandwich that doesn't imitate another product?
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Meat-free 'Impossible Burger 2.0' tastes even closer to the real deal
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Re: Meat-free 'Impossible Burger 2.0' tastes even closer to the real deal
#42Do vegan/vegetarians really want something that reminds them of meat products? Why not just make a good meat-free sandwich that doesn't imitate another product?
Because it isn't just for vegan/vegetarians. I love meat, but as I have become more aware of the implications of a meat based diet, its hard for me to justify my food choices. I would love a plant based product that tastes like meat without the health, environmental, and ethical problems associated with the real thing.
Re: Meat-free 'Impossible Burger 2.0' tastes even closer to the real deal
#43I'm really curious about the "fake meat" products that exist in other countries. In the Netherlands, there's been enormous growth both in the number of vegetarians and in the number of "fake meat" products that have become widely available, and the quality of the latter has improved dramatically. Before, these products were mostly useful for the non-vegetarians wanting to prepare a meal for vegetarians without having…
We have a few available in the US, my favorite is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quorn#Production which is not vegan as it contains some amount of egg. But the majority of the product is made from soil mold protein, which is what makes it unique among the options I have available.
Re: Meat-free 'Impossible Burger 2.0' tastes even closer to the real deal
#44That's really cool. Although I wish there were more vegan food that didn't try to replicate non-vegan textures and flavors. Imitation can only be playing catch-up. The best vegan and vegetarian food does its own thing.
Then you will just create a new market, not directly replace an existing market.
The creater of the Impossible Burger said he could create new types of meat. I think of it as meat of animals that have never evolved. However that's not their focus.
Re: Meat-free 'Impossible Burger 2.0' tastes even closer to the real deal
#45That's really cool. Although I wish there were more vegan food that didn't try to replicate non-vegan textures and flavors. Imitation can only be playing catch-up. The best vegan and vegetarian food does its own thing.
As a vegetarian that is a fairly picky eater, and (a decade ago) a big meat eater, I have a different perspective. When you don't enjoy, say, bell peppers, it is really nice to have some meat-like textures and tastes. As we get closer to having textures that do more than taste/feel like highly processed meat, it gets better.
Which doesnt contradict your point that veg/vegan options have taste and experiences that are worthwhile in their own right, but I shall forever be glad of the time I had pakora thatd recaptured the taste of KFC, as well as other chewy options to round out the relatively small set of options my tastebuds find palatable.
I certainly wish it was different, but from my perspective veggies are out there for anyone to find. Meat tastes/textures are not out there for the vegs/vegans yet.
Plus, the easiest way to reduce meat consumption is to provide drop-in replacements for those that are seeking that taste/texture in ways that done make them regret the choice.
Re: Meat-free 'Impossible Burger 2.0' tastes even closer to the real deal
#46That's really cool. Although I wish there were more vegan food that didn't try to replicate non-vegan textures and flavors. Imitation can only be playing catch-up. The best vegan and vegetarian food does its own thing.
Being born in India, I've had the privilege to eat vegetarian meals that can rival even the best meat based meal.
While I welcome 'impossible' meat replacements, it is funny that the meat reduction movement is looking at such impractical and immature products instead of simpler solutions such as bringing veg friendly cuisines to the fore.
I am opposed to advocating for cold-turkey veganism though. Milk products and eggs are great meat substitutes, and the lack of both makes entire cuisines inaccessible.
Re: Meat-free 'Impossible Burger 2.0' tastes even closer to the real deal
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
I believe this is an urban legend? Anyway, most crops don't convert to protein any better than cattle.
Crops are also not perfectly efficient, but it's simply replacing two chained instances of inefficiencies with one. Instead of Crops -> Animal feed -> Cattle -> Meat -> Eat you have Crops -> some processing -> Eat
Then there's the 92% of grazing land that doesn't grow crops. That's a clear win for cattle.
Re: Meat-free 'Impossible Burger 2.0' tastes even closer to the real deal
#48Congrats to that team for building a great product. I hope they see a lot of success. Long term, I hope plant based meat alternatives become commoditized. If there are a bunch of alternatives that taste just as good and importantly are cheaper than meat , most people will switch. That's a huge win for the environment (and also animal rights), and I can't wait to see it happen.
When compared to meat there is almost no doubt that Impossible is better for the environment.
Impossible has an environmental mission first.
Checkout the sustainability report from 2017 http://www.ift.org/~/media/Food%20Technology/Weekly/IF_Susta...
Or the update from 2018 https://impossiblefoods.com/if-pr/2018-Impact-Update/
Re: Meat-free 'Impossible Burger 2.0' tastes even closer to the real deal
#49Earlier quoted context omitted.
Until the people currently destroying forests to grow cattle, start destroying forests to grow ingredients for these burgers. Soil depletion is also a thing. I still remember the argument for biofuel and where it ended up. More options in the mix is always good, but trying to replace everything with vegetable stuff is not going to work in the long run.
Plant-based foods are almost always significantly more efficient to produce than meat since you no longer need to grow all of the food to feed an animal for its entire life. From another article ( https://www.cnet.com/news/impossible-burger-2-0-tastes-like-... ): > But Impossible Foods can produce a burger using a fourth of the water and less than 4 percent of the land -- and emit one-tenth of the greenhouse gases --…
The rolling hills of Wales and northern England are never going to be great for crops, but they are perfect grassland for feeding cattle and lamb.
The grass hills are beautiful, it would be a great shame to see them converted to crops. I would argue they won’t be, and therefore the cattle raised on them is effecient.
Re: Meat-free 'Impossible Burger 2.0' tastes even closer to the real deal
#50Congrats to that team for building a great product. I hope they see a lot of success. Long term, I hope plant based meat alternatives become commoditized. If there are a bunch of alternatives that taste just as good and importantly are cheaper than meat , most people will switch. That's a huge win for the environment (and also animal rights), and I can't wait to see it happen.
This is about the only kind of vegan proselytizing that I can stomach. If you can make food that tastes as good as meat, with nutrition similar to meat, and sell it at a lower price than meat, I will switch overnight, and never look back.
And it would be nice if it came in bulk forms, rather than just as pre-formed patties. I eat ground beef a lot more often than I eat burgers.
Until then, good luck with the test kitchen research. The results so far indicate that the developers understand the problem they need to solve.