Beyond Meat Brings Organic Farming, Vegetarian and Vegan, Plant-based Foods To Market
Where does milk come from?
I asked my young granddaughter an age-old question that I’m sure everyone has asked a young child at some point in their life, “Honey, where does milk come from?” I fully expected the answer to be, “from a cow”. Boy, was I mistaken! She explained to me that milk comes from animals like goats and cows and also from plants like almonds and soy, and from lab-grown sources using microbes to grow dairy proteins.
Welcome to a brave new world!
Moooooo-ve Over Cows
Plant-based milk is now 13% of the milk market. These include macadamia nut milk, oat milk, pea milk, banana milk, flax milk, hemp milk, and of course milk made from almonds and soy.
Meat products are already plant-based as well. Impossible Foods announced it had raised $300 million in new funding for its delicious Impossible Burger. The Beyond Meat, Inc. IPO stock jumped 163% on its first day of trading. Everyone loves a plant-based burger that will taste and bleed like beef, but is it healthier? Beyond Burger contains no cholesterol and less saturated fat than beef (which is a good thing for my cholesterol numbers), but unfortunately, it contains plenty of calories and sodium. All the big food chains are getting into the market with products like Burger King’s Impossible Whopper, Carl Juniors Beyond Famous Star, and Subway’s New Beyond Meatball Marinara Sub.
The Era of Beyond Burger
In the era of the very popular Beyond Burger and of course the now widely adopted Impossible Burger, government and foundations are now supporting organic farming and research and development of new, innovative plant-based vegan products. One continuing small grant of $1000 is available for projects that reduce cruelty to animals and animal exploitation whether for clothing, food or any other purpose. (GrantWatch ID#: 183727); sustainability and organic farming is supported with grants such as GrantWatch ID# 180160 for nonprofit organizations and research institutions in the US, Canada; and internationally long-term solutions for the future of organic agriculture and protecting organic farmers (GrantWatch ID# 177459).
Maybe I’ll ask my granddaughter if she thinks plant-based milk and Beyond Meat Burger are healthier and taste better than the old-school variety.
About the Author: Jake Tewel holds a Masters Degree from YU, a wine seller and caterer and a million miler for the past 15 years. Jake is a best friend, great neighbor, your go to travel person, father, grandfather and loving husband. He is now focusing his efforts on heart healthy nutrition, exercise and travel.