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Meatless meat is nothing new

economist.com

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Re: Meatless meat is nothing new

#11

Post by cinntaile »

Ambolia wrote: post #2

I don't understand how can those companies afford to put those fake meat sections on all supermarkets across the globe. At least in my european country all supermarkets seem to have this section and from what I've been told most of the products just end up being thrown away because nobody is buying them. I assume they expect to lose a lot of money now but then to make it big at some point in the future. But those com…

> And if the future requires decarbonization and reducing energy consumption, wouldn't that mean that complex global supply chains will be drastically reduced, and food production will move back to a more local level?

Food production won't move back to a more local level, you lose the economies of scale. You get more expensive products and more pollution, not exactly what we want.

Re: Meatless meat is nothing new

#12

Post by bobthepanda »

ricardobayes wrote: post #5
Ambolia wrote: post #2

I don't understand how can those companies afford to put those fake meat sections on all supermarkets across the globe. At least in my european country all supermarkets seem to have this section and from what I've been told most of the products just end up being thrown away because nobody is buying them. I assume they expect to lose a lot of money now but then to make it big at some point in the future. But those com…

You can be 100% sure aldi, or lidl wouldn't put it out there if it wasn't massively profitable. The margins on these products are probably big so even if it doesn't sell well in one region, other regions make up for it.

Also, there are items that may not themselves generate lots of profit but do attract customers who spend a lot as well. Like if you have the plant based meats, I can probably pick up the plant based milks, and the produce, and maybe some snacks, etc.

Re: Meatless meat is nothing new

#13

Post by dataduck »

Ambolia wrote: post #2

I don't understand how can those companies afford to put those fake meat sections on all supermarkets across the globe. At least in my european country all supermarkets seem to have this section and from what I've been told most of the products just end up being thrown away because nobody is buying them. I assume they expect to lose a lot of money now but then to make it big at some point in the future. But those com…

It's possible that the supermarkets did some market research that misled them about how popular these products would be, but there is another option. Supermarkets can arrange all sorts of deals with suppliers. In some cases, the supplier will pay the supermarket to stock a new product, hoping that high margin sales or even just market penetration make it worth it.

Re: Meatless meat is nothing new

#14

Post by bartvk »

Ambolia wrote: post #2

I don't understand how can those companies afford to put those fake meat sections on all supermarkets across the globe. At least in my european country all supermarkets seem to have this section and from what I've been told most of the products just end up being thrown away because nobody is buying them. I assume they expect to lose a lot of money now but then to make it big at some point in the future. But those com…

> from what I've been told most of the products just end up being thrown away because nobody is buying them

Who told you, and why do you consider them a reliable indicator, for what you imply are all supermarkets across the globe?

Re: Meatless meat is nothing new

#15

Post by vaylian »

Ambolia wrote: post #2

I don't understand how can those companies afford to put those fake meat sections on all supermarkets across the globe. At least in my european country all supermarkets seem to have this section and from what I've been told most of the products just end up being thrown away because nobody is buying them. I assume they expect to lose a lot of money now but then to make it big at some point in the future. But those com…

> most of the products just end up being thrown away because nobody is buying them

There's also a problem with discovery: If the meat alternative section is directly adjacent to the real meat, vegetarians and vegans are a lot less likely to discover it.

Re: Meatless meat is nothing new

#17

Post by ricardobayes »

ulfw wrote: post #10
ricardobayes wrote: post #4

Personally, I can't wait to taste it. There has been a lot of hype surrounding lab-grown meat replacements, but I think it's going to be a good few years until the legal framework, and economies of scale will be there.

What do legal framework and economies of scale have to do with you tasting it? I have and frankly it doesn't taste like meat. Sadly.

What I mean by that is that I will only do so if it will be available as a ready product in my local supermarket. But they are not FDA-approved at this time, let alone available anywhere in the EU.

Re: Meatless meat is nothing new

#18

Post by xvilka »

Ambolia wrote: post #2

I don't understand how can those companies afford to put those fake meat sections on all supermarkets across the globe. At least in my european country all supermarkets seem to have this section and from what I've been told most of the products just end up being thrown away because nobody is buying them. I assume they expect to lose a lot of money now but then to make it big at some point in the future. But those com…

Looking at Beyond Meat you are probably right - their shares are in tatters, they are bleeding money without any prospects to break even. Maybe only second generation of meatless companies will make it.
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