The company Beyond Meat was in the news recently for an explosive IPO last week.
This write up covers some of my thoughts around it. Again, I am penning this within the Daana blog, even though much of the opinion is my personal opinion. The reason I think this is not misplaced is that when it comes to sustainability, what we are trying to do in Daana does not differ vastly from my personal thoughts.
Before I delve into my thoughts, it is best I address the 900 pound gorilla in the room. I am a vegan, and have been following a plant based diest for more than 8 years now. I do carry my beliefs on my sleeve, but I am not one to proselytyze.
- Beyond meat claims to be the worlds first plant based burger: This is simply not true. Garden burgers, veggie patties and the like have been in the US market since atleast the 1990’s.
- Beyond meat claims to satisfy the taste of beef. That is probably alright, just on the face of that claim. For folks who want to switch to a largely plant based diet, transition foods help.
- Beyond Meat states its mission as follows: “At Beyond Meat, we believe there is a better way to feed the planet. Our mission is to create The Future of Protein® – delicious plant-based burgers, sausage, crumbles, and more– made directly from simple plant-based ingredients. By shifting from animal, to plant-based meat, we are creating one savory solution that solves four growing issues attributed to livestock production: human health, climate change, constraints on natural resources and animal welfare.” Again, that claim, from the face of it looks simple and logical. Basic food cycle math will demonstrate that one can feed humans more efficiently by directly supplying nutrients from plants, than having to feed them to animals who in turn feed humans.
Lets start deconstructing this a bit further.
- Ingredients:
- Sourcing
- Preparation
- Logistics