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Beyond Meat signs global supply deals with McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut

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Re: Beyond Meat signs global supply deals with McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut

#31
post #5

and yet their stock price is down..... this market is hard to read!

I would think this was less correlated as it’s only a contract for supply. In any case McDonalds isn’t selling a co-branded Beyond Meat product, they’re selling the McPlant. Beyond Meat’s moat looks very shaky here. It seems likely that Beyond Meat is only getting these contracts as it’s a relatively cheap way for McDonalds to test the substitute market before producing their own alternatives. It makes no business se…

>Beyond Meat’s moat looks very shaky here.

Beyond doesn't have a moat. They make veggie burgers.

They became super popular when impossible burger started making the rounds on the news and rode the wave of interest impossible burger created.

Impossible burger has a moat - they have yeast produced heme and I assume some patents on it.

Beyond meat makes veggie burgers. They have no moat.

Re: Beyond Meat signs global supply deals with McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut

#32
post #2

This is the best news I've heard all week. The more widely vegan "meat" is available, the more likely it is to be adopted by average people and not just dedicated vegans. Reducing the demand for real beef is probably one of the best things we can do in the short term for the environment, due to the amount of land required for cattle farming, and due to the surprising amount of methane emitted by cattle. (see the docu…

Are there stats to back up that non-vegans begin consuming more vegan based meals if they have the option? And I mean more than once. A consumer might try it but then go back to normal. At there good stats on repeat buying on a large scale?

I have friends that prefer the Impossible breakfast sandwiches at Starbucks to their meat versions so that's what they order.

Re: Beyond Meat signs global supply deals with McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut

#33
post #5

and yet their stock price is down..... this market is hard to read!

I would think this was less correlated as it’s only a contract for supply. In any case McDonalds isn’t selling a co-branded Beyond Meat product, they’re selling the McPlant. Beyond Meat’s moat looks very shaky here. It seems likely that Beyond Meat is only getting these contracts as it’s a relatively cheap way for McDonalds to test the substitute market before producing their own alternatives. It makes no business se…

Exactly, and Beyond Meat is only the "preferred supplier". BM probably has to meet quantity and price targets or they are done. Good luck building up big profit margins.

Re: Beyond Meat signs global supply deals with McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut

#34
post #2

This is the best news I've heard all week. The more widely vegan "meat" is available, the more likely it is to be adopted by average people and not just dedicated vegans. Reducing the demand for real beef is probably one of the best things we can do in the short term for the environment, due to the amount of land required for cattle farming, and due to the surprising amount of methane emitted by cattle. (see the docu…

I truly don't understand the methane issue. Historically worldwide the # of ungulates is probably well below historical averages. It looks like today we have around 98 million head of cattle in the US. Historically we had bison in excess of conservatively 60 million. This doesn't even begin to count all the animals in Africa. Overall wide life is declining. https://www.statista.com/statistics/194297/total-number-of-c…

> large mammal farts going on now is probably not that much higher than it always has been

I believe a big part of it has to do with the feedlot diet— when they're eating a high-calorie diet of mostly corn/grain instead of their natural diet of grass, it puts their digestive system into overdrive.

EDIT: I looked into it a bit more after posting this, and it looks like it's not clear-cut— for example, it takes a cow a lot longer to reach slaughter weight eating grass, so even if they're belching less during that time, it's a long enough time that it may be a wash, or even worse: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/21/climate/beef-cattle-metha...

EDIT 2: Here's a piece which makes the original case, acknowledging greater direct emissions but claiming a savings that makes up for it from soil sequestration due to grazing: http://newzealmeats.com/blog/grain-fed-vs-grass-fed-beef-gre...

Re: Beyond Meat signs global supply deals with McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut

#35

On a somewhat related topic, has anyone seen any information about how well the Impossible Whopper is selling?

Jan 2020: https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/burger-king-franchisees-...

So that's why they added it to the 2 for $6 menu. I got them all the time when it was on there.

Anecdata, but ... It's basically the only thing I get from Burger King anymore. And I'm not vegetarian or anything, I just had consistent (not the best, but serviceable and consistent) texture and flavor so I didn't feel like I was missing out on anything.

But I wouldn't be down to paying a big premium for them... that 2 for 6 putting it on the same level as the normal Whopper made the case.

Re: Beyond Meat signs global supply deals with McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut

#36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would think this was less correlated as it’s only a contract for supply. In any case McDonalds isn’t selling a co-branded Beyond Meat product, they’re selling the McPlant. Beyond Meat’s moat looks very shaky here. It seems likely that Beyond Meat is only getting these contracts as it’s a relatively cheap way for McDonalds to test the substitute market before producing their own alternatives. It makes no business se…

Okay but Pizza Hut literally brands it as Beyond: https://www.pizzahut.com/c/content/beyond-meat-pizzas/index.... and so does KFC? https://global.kfc.com/press-releases/kfc-beyond-fried-chick... so I think this doesn't fully explain it?

Both of those are Yum brands, so it is really a single deal. Looks like you have one deal that is branded but chicken and pizza places are not going to drive a huge amount of visibility into the segment that Beyond wants (cheap burgers) and I suspect previous comment is correct regarding McD wanting to test the waters while they work on their own solution.

Re: Beyond Meat signs global supply deals with McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut

#37
post #2

This is the best news I've heard all week. The more widely vegan "meat" is available, the more likely it is to be adopted by average people and not just dedicated vegans. Reducing the demand for real beef is probably one of the best things we can do in the short term for the environment, due to the amount of land required for cattle farming, and due to the surprising amount of methane emitted by cattle. (see the docu…

I agree that this is important, and less meat consumption is good, but I am kind of upset that the entire American culinary experience is being reduced to "burgers, pizza, and fried chicken."

I say that because most of the articles on meat alternatives are written from the perspective of "if only Americans can stop eating hamburgers!"

First off, in terms of global solutions, that isn't going to fly. Try going to Italy and telling people "we've replaced all your meat, with a ground beef alternative!" and see how pissed people get. Countries around the world have culinary traditions older than America itself. Many of these traditional preparations of various cuts of meat are a huge part of culture and history.

Second off, I, an American, don't even eat hamburgers[1] more than once or twice a year. And I'm not going to switch all my meat eating over to meat alternative hamburgers.

Of course replacing some meat is good, my main complaint is how so many articles reduce American food to just a few categories.

I have the same problem when friends come to visit from overseas, or even friends who've been in America for awhile (sometimes years!) who have no idea that American food is anything other than burgers and pizza.

[1] I eat sausages a bit more frequently, which I could fill with a plant based alternative.

Re: Beyond Meat signs global supply deals with McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut

#38
post #2

This is the best news I've heard all week. The more widely vegan "meat" is available, the more likely it is to be adopted by average people and not just dedicated vegans. Reducing the demand for real beef is probably one of the best things we can do in the short term for the environment, due to the amount of land required for cattle farming, and due to the surprising amount of methane emitted by cattle. (see the docu…

I truly don't understand the methane issue. Historically worldwide the # of ungulates is probably well below historical averages. It looks like today we have around 98 million head of cattle in the US. Historically we had bison in excess of conservatively 60 million. This doesn't even begin to count all the animals in Africa. Overall wide life is declining. https://www.statista.com/statistics/194297/total-number-of-c…

If we can reduce any source with little to no consequences we should do it. The point is we're over capacity because we've added petroleum and other sources, namely large container ships that aren't going to be constrained anytime soon.

Re: Beyond Meat signs global supply deals with McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut

#40
Just when you think there is no hope for this planet and for humanity something slowly emerges seemingly out of nowhere.

Fridays for future was one of those developments that caught me by surprise. Young people fighting for our planet while „angry white men“ claiming there ain’t no climate change.

Or take the sudden surge of interest in everything veggy / vegan. In Germany there is a growing demand for vegan products, and this demand seems to be very strong, because every grocery store has a growing number of vegan products lately.

I turned vegetarian last year not because I hate the taste of meat but because there are a dozen reasons we should not be eating meat. Environmental reasons, but also the pain we are causing these animals, every single day.

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