Beyond Meat vs. Impossible Foods: The very real battle between the biggest ‘fake-meat’ competitors - Klue (2024)

FAQs

Beyond Meat vs. Impossible Foods: The very real battle between the biggest ‘fake-meat’ competitors - Klue? ›

Sales plateaued in 2021, and some of the plant-based-meat darlings — including Beyond Meat and Impossible — began to dip. Beyond Meat's stock price has fallen almost 80 percent in the past year; Impossible conducted two rounds of layoffs in 2022, letting 6 percent of its workforce go in October alone.

Sales plateaued in 2021, and some of the plant-based-meat darlings — including Beyond Meat and Impossible — began to dip. Beyond Meat's stock price has fallen almost 80 percent in the past year; Impossible conducted two rounds of layoffs in 2022, letting 6 percent of its workforce go in October alone.

Impossible Foods's competitors and similar companies include Beyond Meat, Perfect Day, Next Level Burger and Hungry Planet. Impossible Foods is a company that develops meats and cheeses made from plants. Beyond Meat is a company producing vegetarian meat substitutes.

Are Impossible and Beyond Meat Healthy? From a nutrition standpoint, Impossible and Beyond Meat stack up quite similarly to beef (see below for a side-by-side comparison). That said, there are a few notable differences: Beyond has significantly less saturated fat than both ground beef and Impossible Burger.

Unfortunately, even though an alternative to beef is better for the environment, it may not necessarily be better for your health. The Beyond Meat burger has 18 ingredients, the Impossible Burger has 21. Both are highly processed and contain several additives and inflammatory oils.

Beyond Meat, Inc. is a Los Angeles–based producer of plant-based meat substitutes founded in 2009 by Ethan Brown. The company's initial products were launched in the United States in 2012. The company went public in 2019, becoming the first plant-based meat analogue company to go public.

Plant-based meat alternatives have a lot going for them: They can help you reduce your meat intake, which may lower your risk for health problems, and they can lessen your carbon footprint. But, they're not exactly health foods because they are processed and still contain saturated fat and sodium.

Their assessment was that they don't see enough evidence to support a national rollout in the near future." At that point, franchises were only selling 20 McPlants per day, which was well short of the target of 40-60 McPlants per day. Because of this, Beyond Meat's shares dropped by 6%, according to CNBC.

Beyond Meat is a little better. "It has a similar nutrition profile to Impossible Meat, but does not contain soy and has less micronutrients because it's not fortified with as many vitamins and minerals," Samuels says. "Per their website, Beyond Meat also does not contain any genetically modified ingredients.

Which tastes better beyond or impossible? ›

The Impossible Burger crumbles melded with the sauce far better, offering a texture and flavor nearly identical to ground beef. The bottom line? Honestly, they're both great options. If you're a meat eater looking for the most realistic alternative to ground beef, though, go with Impossible Burger.

Beyond Meat is not healthier than beef when you compare them side by side. Beyond Meat has more calcium (100 mg vs. 18 mg) than beef. However, once we get beyond calcium into important vitamins and minerals to your health, Beyond Burger lacks all of these.

Redwood City, California-based Impossible Foods sued Motif, a Boston-based spinoff of biotech company Ginkgo Bioworks, in March. Impossible Foods said Motif's products with Hemami infringe patents related to imitation meat that uses the protein molecule heme to replicate meat's taste, smell, texture and appearance.

“Compared to a meat-based burger, Beyond and Impossible contain roughly the same amount of saturated fat and more sodium,” she says, both of which, when over-consumed, can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Some highly processed products, such as those from Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger, are just as high in total and saturated fat as their meat counterparts. The burgers even contain more sodium than a single beef patty, which may not support heart health ( 12 , 18 , 19 ).

The chain originally gave its meat-free creation a trial run in 59 restaurants in St. Louis, Missouri before expanding the trial. The company was founded in 2011 and has raised over $2 billion in funding from investors including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and tennis champion Serena Williams.

McPlant® A vegan burger made with a juicy plant-based patty co-developed with Beyond Meat® featuring vegan sandwich sauce, ketchup, mustard, onion, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and a vegan alternative to cheese in a sesame seed bun.

The healthiest meat substitute will be natural vegetarian foods, high in protein and minimally processed. Great, healthy meat substitutes include beans, tempeh, lentils, jackfruit, mushrooms, nuts, and seeds.

The Downside of Meatless Burgers

In addition, the mung beans are a legume, which means they have high concentrations of lectins. These are carbohydrate-binding proteins, and in some people, they can be toxic, allergenic, and pro-inflammatory.

We use a variety of non-GMO plant proteins including pea, brown rice, mung bean and faba bean, which team up to give you juicy and nutritious plant-based meat that's a good source of protein. For specific ingredients and nutrition information, please visit our product pages.

Is Beyond Meat really plant-based? ›

What is Beyond Meat made from? Beyond Meat products taste so much like animal-based products that it's hard to believe they are composed entirely of plant ingredients. Each product is different, though the main components are water, pea protein, various oils, and seasonings.

The popular plant-based Beyond Meat and Impossible Burgers sold at Costco, and in most supermarkets, are packaged in non-biodegradable plastic containers, sealed in plastic wrap, and covered in cardboard. “Yes, sadly, there is far too much single-use plastic packaging in the world,” Hunnes says.

The Beyond Burger has less saturated fat than the beef or Impossible Burger (6 grams), but a similar calorie count, with 250 calories per patty. But a turkey burger has only 4 to 5 grams of saturated fat, and 220 to 240 calories, depending on the brand.

Beyond Meat says it uses no genetically modified or artificially produced ingredients. The Impossible Burger is made with similar basic ingredients but it gets its protein largely from soy and potato, and it uses an iron-containing compound from soy called heme to enhance the burger's meaty flavor.

Pesticide levels in these burgers are incredibly low and undeniably safe. Consider glyphosate, the world's least beloved pesticide.

Every one of our McDonald's burgers is made with 100% pure beef and cooked and prepared with salt, pepper and nothing else—no fillers, no additives, no preservatives. We use the trimmings of cuts like the chuck, round and sirloin for our burgers, which are ground and formed into our hamburger patties.

For instance, because McDonald's cooked the item on the same grill as and alongside meat, it technically didn't fulfil the necessary criteria to count as a vegetarian dish. This made it off-limits to many would-be customers and may have ultimately contributed to its downfall.

The fries are not coated in any fats or substances from an animal. Once at the restaurant, our fries are simply cooked in dedicated frying vats in a non-hydrogenated blend of sunflower and rapeseed oil which is 100 percent suitable for vegans.

The Impossible Whopper is made with a meat alternative burger patty from Impossible Foods, topped with tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickles, and onions. It can be ordered with cheese. The Impossible Whopper is prepared with mayonnaise and on the same grill as all other burgers.

The flavor of pea protein is a little tough to describe if you've never had it. Not unpleasant, but not particularly beef-like. The burger packs an umami punch from yeast extract, and also has that faint, inescapable aroma of coconut.

What are the disadvantages of plant-based meat? ›

Con #1: Plant-based meat can be more heavily processed than animal meat. As some plant-based meat and mock meat products are created to replicate animal meat, they may undergo more processing. This leads to a high content of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar.

What are the white specks on the patties? The white specks are similar to marbling that you see on traditional beef burgers, but ours are made from coconut oil and cocoa butter. These plant-based fats provide melty, mouthwatering marbling to the Beyond Burger, creating a juicy texture similar to beef.

Its white specks are actually coconut oil and cocoa butter. Impossible traded its original wheat-based recipe (version 1.0) for soy and potato protein, plus coconut and sunflower oil (version 2.0).

Heme is found in a protein called hemoglobin that is found in every living plant and animal, and is something we've been eating since the dawn of humanity. This ingredient not only makes Impossible Burgers taste like meat, but helps them stay juicy, moist, and slightly red at the center.

A homemade veggie burger will be lower in saturated fat, calories, and sodium, which are nutrients of concern to the general public. The saturated fat used in Beyond Burger comes primarily from coconut oil, canola oil, and cocoa butter, which have relatively weak associations with heart disease for healthy individuals.

However, when it comes to sodium, the plant-based burgers are packing in far more salt than their meat-based counterparts. The Beyond Burger has 380 mg of sodium, 16% of the total recommended daily limit.

The good news: Meatless burgers are a good source of protein, vitamins, and minerals. The protein content of these newer plant-based burgers has been created to compete with beef and poultry gram for gram.

The smell, the texture, the juiciness…it's so beef-like, many vegans are too creeped out to even try it. According to Impossible Foods, the Impossible Burger uses 1/20 the land, requires 1/4 the water, and produces 1/8 the greenhouse gas emissions compared to its cow-based counterpart.

The Impossible Burger is made from soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil, potato protein, methylcellulose, yeast extract, salt, gums, and water and additives, including vitamin B12, zinc, vitamin B6, thiamin (B1) and niacin. The ingredient that gives an Impossible Burger the taste of meat is heme.

Impossible burgers still need to be cooked to temp!

Though the risk of food-borne illness is smaller for these burgers than for actual meat burgers, there is still some chance. They are made from legumes, grains, and vegetables, and those can become contaminated with pathogenic bacteria.

Are black bean burgers healthy? ›

Protein packed and Healthy – Black bean burgers are packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals and are much lower in fat and cholesterol than a traditional ground beef burger. Plus, they still have about 12 grams of protein in each burger.

Beyond Meat's plant-based meats can be a better choice than animal protein equivalents because they have less saturated fat, and no cholesterol, added hormones, or antibiotics.

What's Beyond Beef? Beyond Beef is a plant-based ground meat made without GMOs, soy, or gluten to deliver on the versatility, meaty texture and juiciness of ground beef. It's ready to use in your favorite recipes.

The protein in the Beyond Burger® comes from peas, mung beans and rice. It is made with simple, plant-based ingredients without GMOs, soy, gluten or bioengineered ingredients.

In the past year, the chain has trialed vegan chicken burgers in select US locations, plus the Impossible Whopper is still available nationwide.

In addition to being an investor and proponent of vegan meat, Gates also confirmed that he likes to eat plant-based food himself. What prompted Gates to invest in Beyond Meat was his inability to tell the difference between plant-based and animal-based chicken. “Like most people, I don't think I can be easily fooled.

Gates invested in Hampton Creek Foods, a startup company working on plant protein based egg substitutes, and has praised Beyond Meat, a meat substitute company. Thiel gave a grant to Modern Meadow, a company using animal stem cells in what it calls "tissue engineering" to create meat and leather via 3D printing.

Wahlburgers, the better burger restaurant brand founded by Chef Paul Wahlberg along with brothers Donnie Wahlberg and Mark Wahlberg, has launched the Impossible Burger, now available nationwide throughout all participating Wahlburgers locations.

The main competitors of Beyond Meat include B&G Foods (BGS), Vital Farms (VITL), Oatly Group (OTLY), Benson Hill (BHIL), The Hain Celestial Group (HAIN), Nomad Foods (NOMD), Mission Produce (AVO), Adecoagro (AGRO), SunOpta (STKL), and BRF (BRFS). These companies are all part of the "consumer staples" sector.

Is Bill Gates associated with Beyond Meat? ›

"I think eventually these products will be very good even though their share is small today," he added. Gates said he has backed meat alternative brands Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and Upside Foods (formerly known as Memphis Meats).

Beyond Meat, Inc. develops, manufactures, markets, and sells plant-based meat products in the United States and internationally. The company sells a range of plant-based meat products across the platforms of beef, pork, and poultry.

2 Beyond Meat

From the purely financial supporters such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Bill Gates to the more public investments of Snoop Dogg, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Hopkins, this vegan meat company has earned its spot on the red carpet and the ESPN Zone.

The stock isn't that cheap

But that is still far too much to pay for a company with declining revenue that doesn't even generate gross profits. Investors should avoid the shares because of the risk of continued downside over the long term.

Some of the problems can be attributed to broader industry challenges. In the grocery store, interest in plant-based meats has waned as consumers, faced with inflation, focus on shopping for affordable basics. At the same time, restaurant traffic is dipping.

Beyond Meat has received a consensus rating of Hold. The company's average rating score is 1.55, and is based on no buy ratings, 6 hold ratings, and 5 sell ratings.

McPlant® A vegan burger made with a juicy plant-based patty co-developed with Beyond Meat® featuring vegan sandwich sauce, ketchup, mustard, onion, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and a vegan alternative to cheese in a sesame seed bun.

McDonald's is expanding its McPlant line with another Beyond Meat item.

In addition to being an investor and proponent of vegan meat, Gates also confirmed that he likes to eat plant-based food himself. What prompted Gates to invest in Beyond Meat was his inability to tell the difference between plant-based and animal-based chicken. “Like most people, I don't think I can be easily fooled.

Stock Price Forecast

The 11 analysts offering 12-month price forecasts for Beyond Meat Inc have a median target of 13.00, with a high estimate of 20.00 and a low estimate of 5.00. The median estimate represents a -3.95% decrease from the last price of 13.54.

Who is the target market for Beyond Meat? ›

Their primary target focus is on meat avoiders, following meat reducers and meat consumers. This applies to vegans, vegetarians, omnivores, and flexitarians or semi- vegetarians.

Beyond Meat has spearheaded the development of the plant-based meat market and has advanced to become a recognized brand. Weak fundamentals and a low-quality credit profile make the shares unattractive. A takeover scenario is not out of the question but we believe that any potential suitors have little urgency to act.

Bill Gates started to build up the position in Beyond Meat in Q3 2019. Since then they sold 96.5 Thousand shares. The investor sold all their shares in Q4 2019 and doesn't own any shares in Beyond Meat anymore.

The Beyond Meat executive who was accused of biting a man's nose is leaving the vegan food company. The US firm, known for its plant-based burgers, had suspended Douglas Ramsey, then chief operating officer, indefinitely after the incident.

Beyond Meat said Chief Operating Officer Doug Ramsey is leaving the company, a departure that comes after the executive allegedly bit another man's nose outside a football game.