Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop • Hacker News Board

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#761

Post by DangitBobby » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 4:23 AM UTC

stcroixx wrote: post #617

lukeschlather wrote: post #520

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Vegetarian/veganism is not a fashion choice, it's a moral one. It's like asking why a Muslim prepares a dish that's traditionally prepared with pork but instead substitutes lamb. I'm not sure what more explanation you require.

It was very trendy in certain circles when I was in college to be vegetarian/vegan and I think it was mostly a fashion choice. If it had been about morals, there would have been other lifestyle changes.

You might be surprised. Imposing such a dietary restriction can take a lot of mental and emotional effort (especially if people around you are annoyed by the fact they must accomodate you, or act threatened by your choices). When I started being veg, I had very few (0?) other lifestyle changes unless you include maybe trying make a few environmentally conscious decisions. I wouldn't take your word on the motivations of your friends, unless you know they are no longer veg today.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#762

Post by DangitBobby » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 4:27 AM UTC

japaneseminisub wrote: post #710

dqv wrote: post #560

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You can't just replace ingredients. Huh? Yes you can. Replacing ingredients, adding ingredients, removing ingredients is the basis for all food culture. Recipes get passed down through generations and those variances over time are what give us distinct and unique dishes.

As my Italian friend once said: "Yes, the thing with BBQ sauce and pineapple is tasty, but it's not a pizza!"

Your Italian friend is wrong.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#763

Post by DangitBobby » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 4:34 AM UTC

legitster wrote: post #19

It's the cost. We are meat-eaters and have been trying lots of plant-based products. I was never sold as them being health products, but I liked the (presumed) environmental benefits. Plus, I could make a single meal for me and my Vegan friends. Plant-based meats were supposed to be cheaper. But it never happened. So now we've mostly moved back to normal meat products. (It doesn't help that my vegan friends never sto…

Absolutely the cost. Very annoying to pay more than everyone else at BK, but at least I can eat at BK. Sorry about your friends.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#764

Post by DangitBobby » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 4:50 AM UTC

shakesbeard wrote: post #185

virtualritz wrote: post #100

In Germany this is simply not true. All supermarket chains, at least in the cities, now have a considerate selection of plant based meat and it sells like bread. Yes, it is sadly more expensive than real meat for now. Still -- vegan burger patties are regularly sold out.

Same in Switzerland. The selection has grown considerably over the last years.

Same in the US. It's never been easier to be veg.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#765

Post by sixstringtheory » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 4:54 AM UTC

georgyo wrote: post #437

maury91 wrote: post #429

I'm not a fan of plant-based meat, this is most likely because of my culture ( I'm Sardinian ), we do have many meat based dishes and many plant based dishes, and honestly I don't see the need to cook the meat based ones with processed food that tries to replicate the taste and consistency of meat. I believe that if you don't want to eat meat there's a world of recipes that do not involve meat and are made to elevate…

Meat tastes really good. I think there are many people who want to eat less meat but really enjoy meat. I am one of those people.

As someone who enjoys meat well enough… I realized a while ago that meat itself doesn’t have that great of a flavor, it can be downright bland. The flavor comes from the seasonings and spices they are typically prepared with. Which are either: a) salt or b) something that came from a plant.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#766

Post by DangitBobby » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 4:56 AM UTC

RileyJames wrote: post #75

I recall when I was in the states budget king was doing an impossible whopper for the same price as a standard whopper. And the taste was pretty equivalent. Obviously a Burger King beef patty is not a premium product, so that’s not an impressive feat from a taste perspective. But as a replacement for mediocre quality beef, it seemed like a winner. I assumed at the time tho that the price was subsidised. And I’m not s…

In my neck of the woods, Impossible Whoppers were higher than regular Whoppers for as long as I've paid attention.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#767

Post by DangitBobby » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 5:14 AM UTC

gnicholas wrote: post #685

nobodyandproud wrote: post #681

My local grocery is constantly out of https://www.morningstarfarms.com/en_US/products/chikn/mornin... They restock and it’s gone in a week or two. Contrast that beyond meat, impossible burger, and other pricey options which never budge.

I recently saw Beyond sausage on BOGO sale at Safeway. I’ve never bought it before, but between that discount and a general meat coupon (which interestingly applied to meat substitutes), it was a decent deal. Haven’t tried it yet but interested to see if it could be a worthwhile purchase at this lower price level.

I quite like the sausage. Hope you enjoy it.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#768

Post by kyleee » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 6:33 AM UTC

JeremyNT wrote: post #705

Sohcahtoa82 wrote: post #669

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In Switzerland meat is expensive. Organic ground/minced beef from Farmy is something like $15-20/lb. Organic chicken breast is $50/lb (around $15/breast). That's insane. I'm in the USA and I can get organic ground beef for under $7/lb. Organic chicken breast for $8/lb. Both can be even lower if I buy in bulk. If you don't care about it being organic, then both of them get to $3/lb.

Eating animals is incredibly resource intensive, and farming animals for meat results in externalities that are not paid by the producers or consumers. Perhaps instead it's the USA prices that are "insane."

Are the Swiss using their extra profits from meat to deal with the externalities you mention?

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#769

Post by rrrrrrrrrrrryan » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 6:52 AM UTC

jasonmclaren wrote: post #722

exolymph wrote: post #716

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> if nicotine didn't have the specter of cigarettes hanging behind it, I'd imagine it could be quite a large market. It drives me a little bit crazy that people think nicotine itself is what's harmful about cigarettes. The myth is slowly eroding but the common knowledge about nicotine — aside from the reality that it is addictive — remains directionally wrong (as common knowledge often is).

Can you elaborate? My understanding is that nicotine raises blood pressure, which is a big part of what's harmful about cigarettes.

Nicotine isn't good for you by any means, but lung cancer is the main reason cigarettes are uniquely harmful. It's a really rough way to go.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

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Post by abliefern » Fri, Jan 20, 2023, 6:59 AM UTC

kzrdude wrote: post #91

raghavkukreti wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Water, soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil, natural flavors, 2% or less of potato protein, methylcellulose, yeast extract, cultured dextrose, food starch modified, soy leghemoglobin, salt, mixed tocopherols (antioxidant), soy protein isolate, zinc gluconate, thiamine hydrochloride (vitamin B1), niacin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), and vitamin B12. This is the list of…

It fits the definition of ultraprocessed food since fats and proteins are modified (that's sort of the whole point, to create a new texture). Which to me is the downside of a lot of the "replacement" foods. Industrial, processed food, that is pretty far away from whole foods. I'd prefer to just eat whole foods instead, vegetarian or not.

Do you have anything at all to back up the claim that modified proteins and fats as found in fake meat products are unhealthy? I can't find anything. This seems like superstition.