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Impossible Foods Plans to Lay Off About 20% of Workers

bloomberg.com

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Re: Impossible Foods Plans to Lay Off About 20% of Workers

#11

Post by Hermitian909 »

cuteboy19 wrote: post #2

Why are people so obsessed with creating fake meat? I've always found that meat > vegetarian food >>>> "vegan" "meat"

Food choice is partly cultural. The dishes of my childhood all had meat at their center, if I go for long periods of time without eating meat I begin to really miss those dishes (I went vegetarian for a year at one point, didn't stop the cravings).

Fake meat is great because you can recrate the culinary experiences without actual meat e.g. I can make a great Bolognese with impossible beef, I've yet to meet someone who could actually tell there wasn't any meat in it. For me this scratches an important "itch" I get .

Re: Impossible Foods Plans to Lay Off About 20% of Workers

#12

Post by nh23423fefe »

callmetom wrote: post #10
nh23423fefe wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's because your preferences aren't universal. There is interest in the space for a variety of reasons. Animal welfare, land usage, agricultural pollution, climate change, etc.

So not because it tastes good, but for asspats. Maybe they should take a page from the EV market and stop trying to ape the normal offering? Their customers want to be seen "helping" - so the product has to draw attention to itself by being a weird color or shape.

Food is assumed to taste good, what point are you making?

Re: Impossible Foods Plans to Lay Off About 20% of Workers

#13

Post by sokoloff »

cuteboy19 wrote: post #2

Why are people so obsessed with creating fake meat? I've always found that meat > vegetarian food >>>> "vegan" "meat"

Because a lot of people think meat tastes good but for whatever reason(s) don't want to participate in the industrial farming of animals.

In my view (as someone generally on the carnivorous spectrum of dietary preferences), Impossible's beef substitute product is quite tasty for any dish where beef is "an ingredient, but not the central focal point". Hamburger, sloppy Joe, tacos, meatballs, lasagna, etc are the perfect spot for it.

Their biggest problem is the price is utterly uncompetitive with utility-grade, 80% lean ground beef. If volume production, cutting overhead costs, or other actions can get them competitive (and eventually under) that price reference, they'll have a runaway hit on their hands.

Re: Impossible Foods Plans to Lay Off About 20% of Workers

#14

Post by babypuncher »

cuteboy19 wrote: post #2

Why are people so obsessed with creating fake meat? I've always found that meat > vegetarian food >>>> "vegan" "meat"

There are lots of reasons to avoid eating meat that go beyond the usual animal welfare arguments. Good meat substitutes can help people cut down on their meat intake without giving up the kinds of dishes they have grown accustomed to over a lifetime of eating meat.

Re: Impossible Foods Plans to Lay Off About 20% of Workers

#15

Post by somesortofthing »

telotortium wrote: post #7

http://archive.today/qtCSd They claim their sales are up by 50% in dollar terms in 2022: > Closely held Impossible Foods recently said its sales were up more than 50% in 2022 in dollar terms at US retail stores. In a September interview, Chief Executive Officer Peter McGuinness said Impossible Foods has a strong balance sheet and good cash position. What's the trick here? Seems like interest in general has fallen: >…

Maybe they're capturing a rising share of a shrinking market? A 50% increase under these conditions still does sound suspicious though.

Re: Impossible Foods Plans to Lay Off About 20% of Workers

#16

Post by callmetom »

nh23423fefe wrote: post #12
callmetom wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So not because it tastes good, but for asspats. Maybe they should take a page from the EV market and stop trying to ape the normal offering? Their customers want to be seen "helping" - so the product has to draw attention to itself by being a weird color or shape.

Food is assumed to taste good, what point are you making?

lol, no it isn't - there are a lot of existing foods that certainly don't taste good but they are supposedly "good for you". It seems odd to even have to point out that such a tradeoff exists. The point is that up to now that calculation was a personal one, and food processors had to calibrate between those two things (and price, to a smaller degree). Now there is this collective dimension being promoted, which could dramatically alter the calculus - to the point where celebrities are now being recruited to get people to eat bugs... Most are less likely to choose the objectively inferior "I'm doing my part!" option when the effort goes unrecognized, that is why early EV offerings looked so ridiculous. Manufactures found that normal looking electric cars didn't sell as well as designs that informed onlookers that you were "doing the right thing".

Re: Impossible Foods Plans to Lay Off About 20% of Workers

#19

Post by steve_adams_86 »

callmetom wrote: post #10
nh23423fefe wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's because your preferences aren't universal. There is interest in the space for a variety of reasons. Animal welfare, land usage, agricultural pollution, climate change, etc.

So not because it tastes good, but for asspats. Maybe they should take a page from the EV market and stop trying to ape the normal offering? Their customers want to be seen "helping" - so the product has to draw attention to itself by being a weird color or shape.

I suspect most people buying these products don't care much about how they're seen when buying these products. I personally can't stomach the idea of eating an animal that my conscience considers "someone" rather than "something", but I like the general flavour of meat-like foods. If they come from plants, I can enjoy it without feeling like I'm eating someone.

It never crosses my mind what people think of me buying Beyond this or Impossible that.

Re: Impossible Foods Plans to Lay Off About 20% of Workers

#20

Post by ncr100 »

la64710 wrote: post #17

I for one enjoy their burgers. They taste damn close to meat and they are good for the planet.

+1 Impossible is the winner to-date.

It's tasty. I consider them "medium quality burgers", compared to the low and high quality burger I've eaten. I'm perfectly fine eating these. They don't upset my stomach, ever. [Real meat can - perhaps too oily for my system?]

Also, use the meat with taco-seasoning on nachos, is okay. The texture is a bit grainy vs hamburger.

And the sausage product, when shredded and placed on-top of a vegetarian pizza, is AMAZING.

Beyond Meat is still strange for burgers, though they make good sausage - tasty with eggs.

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