The Beginning of the End of the Beef Industry? • Hacker News Board

Re: The Beginning of the End of the Beef Industry?

#11

Post by omarhaneef » Wed, Jul 31, 2019, 7:17 PM UTC

I think the part that rings clearly in my head is the ethical part. I really cannot believe we eat animals. I know other animals do it all the time -- and I don't hold it against tigers and lions -- but its still strange to me that we, humans, do it.

If you don't feel that strong surprise, then I think the other arguments may or may not work for you. But if you have that sense that it is strange and perhaps off, then this article is heartening.

Re: The Beginning of the End of the Beef Industry?

#12

Post by Xcelerate » Wed, Jul 31, 2019, 7:24 PM UTC

I don’t think most people will have a problem switching to plant based burgers as long as they taste good, but I think that’s still the sticking point at the moment. I’ve had an Impossible burger a few times and could always taste a strong difference (I even did a few blind taste tests). I don’t think it’s close to actual meat yet. Supposedly the second version of the burger has improved; I haven’t tried it yet.

Cheap meat, like ground beef, will be replaced first, but I think it will be much more difficult to replace specialty meats: Iberian ham or Wagyu for instance. Good luck making something plant-based that tastes like that (not saying it can’t be done though).

Re: The Beginning of the End of the Beef Industry?

#13

Post by flyinglizard » Wed, Jul 31, 2019, 7:24 PM UTC

formalsystem wrote: post #9

I'm starting to think more and more that people promoting plant based burgers have either never tasted beef or never tasted a plant based burger. If the main concern is environment I get it and go for it. But if you are claiming that plant based burgers are healthier or tastier you are borderline delusional. Last time I cooked a Beyond Meat burger I noticed it was 30% canola oil. 30% CANOLA OIL, might as well just in…

In my case, it was the amount of preservatives in one of the more well known plant based meat burgers. Far from healthy.

Re: The Beginning of the End of the Beef Industry?

#14

Post by baxtr » Wed, Jul 31, 2019, 7:25 PM UTC

formalsystem wrote: post #9

I'm starting to think more and more that people promoting plant based burgers have either never tasted beef or never tasted a plant based burger. If the main concern is environment I get it and go for it. But if you are claiming that plant based burgers are healthier or tastier you are borderline delusional. Last time I cooked a Beyond Meat burger I noticed it was 30% canola oil. 30% CANOLA OIL, might as well just in…

I have become a 80% vegetarian by now and I feel great doing it. That said, I 100% agree with you. You can definitively be a vegetarian and die of heart disease eating that kind of replica food.

Re: The Beginning of the End of the Beef Industry?

#15

Post by codesushi42 » Wed, Jul 31, 2019, 7:26 PM UTC

formalsystem wrote: post #9

I'm starting to think more and more that people promoting plant based burgers have either never tasted beef or never tasted a plant based burger. If the main concern is environment I get it and go for it. But if you are claiming that plant based burgers are healthier or tastier you are borderline delusional. Last time I cooked a Beyond Meat burger I noticed it was 30% canola oil. 30% CANOLA OIL, might as well just in…

I had a highschool teacher who was vegetarian and would extol its health benefits.

She was obese.

Not being meat doesn't mean healthy by default. This misconception is becoming as bad as preferring "0 fat, replaced with loads of sugar".

Re: The Beginning of the End of the Beef Industry?

#16

Post by exhilaration » Wed, Jul 31, 2019, 7:26 PM UTC

formalsystem wrote: post #9

I'm starting to think more and more that people promoting plant based burgers have either never tasted beef or never tasted a plant based burger. If the main concern is environment I get it and go for it. But if you are claiming that plant based burgers are healthier or tastier you are borderline delusional. Last time I cooked a Beyond Meat burger I noticed it was 30% canola oil. 30% CANOLA OIL, might as well just in…

Ok buddy, we get it, you don't like canola oil. But Americans do, it's the #2 consumed oil in the country, with 2.7 million metric tons consumed in 2018. Those are the people that eat at White Castle and Dunkin Donuts, that's the market everyone's going after.

Re: The Beginning of the End of the Beef Industry?

#17

Post by frostyj » Wed, Jul 31, 2019, 7:27 PM UTC

I don't know if the statement on price is valid in this article. For me, while shopping in wholefoods, I found the price of beyond meat patties is almost doubled than other, actual meat, brands. I am not sure why it is so expensive, but I sincerely hope it is not the cost of production

Re: The Beginning of the End of the Beef Industry?

#18

Post by soperj » Wed, Jul 31, 2019, 7:28 PM UTC

omarhaneef wrote: post #11

I think the part that rings clearly in my head is the ethical part. I really cannot believe we eat animals. I know other animals do it all the time -- and I don't hold it against tigers and lions -- but its still strange to me that we, humans, do it. If you don't feel that strong surprise, then I think the other arguments may or may not work for you. But if you have that sense that it is strange and perhaps off, then…

I feel the same way about vegetables. I know other animals do it all the time, but when you add them up all the plant deaths are horrific.

Re: The Beginning of the End of the Beef Industry?

#19

Post by sbooher » Wed, Jul 31, 2019, 7:29 PM UTC

Pea protein isolates, rice protein, mung bean protein, canola oil etc are Not food. I would not feed this to my dog. In fact, lined up against a bag of cheap dog food, you might pick the dog food... In a world awash in heavily-processed food, we now add this to the mix and get excited about it.

Statements about how "inefficient" cows are in making meat re calories ingested, usually fail to mention that for most of the cow's life they are eating grass on a range, which is not used for anything else. We didn't need to make that grass, it's sitting there. Statements on the use on land assume we would have condos and coffee shops sitting there, but for the cows on it.

Re: The Beginning of the End of the Beef Industry?

#20

Post by jessaustin » Wed, Jul 31, 2019, 7:30 PM UTC

hirundo wrote: post #3

"Chipotle, Arby’s and Burger & Lobster are not jumping on the Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods plant-based culinary movement ... We have spoken to those folks and, unfortunately, it wouldn’t fit in our ‘food with integrity’ principals because of the processing, as I understand it, that it takes to make a plant taste like a burger. ... Are they healthier as far as sodium, calories and fat content? Definitely not ... Z…

Arby's at least would require a complete rebranding in order to sell this stuff. "We have the meats^H^H^H^Hanufactured plant products!" (I'm not familiar with B&L marketing but presumably they would be in a similar position?) I can also understand Chipotle's point of view on this.