It would seem like places like McDonald's or Burger King would do some market surveys about their customer bases desire for fake meat products. Or they could just ask me - like none. Next question would be to survey the miniscule number of actual true vegetarians/vegans and ask them if they want to go to a Burger King and have a fake meat hamburger cooked on or near the same equipment contaminated by beef or chicken fat from cooking hamburgers or chicken tenders. Again, the real answer is like none. Then the actual science is that protein is protein and saturated fat is saturated fat. Fake meat isn't healthier. I don't care if you want to eat fake meat, just quit with the virtue signaling and the incipit fascism about taking away my choice.
Fake Meat Sales Plummet On High Prices, Woke Messaging
BY TYLER DURDEN
MONDAY, SEP 26, 2022 - 07:40 PM
A few years ago, life was good for the fake meat industry. Beyond Meat had been given vast amounts of real estate in grocery stores, and had scored a deal with Burger King to sell "Impossible" Whoppers. McDonald's rolled out a McPlant burger (which was quietly shelved last month). Snarky woke advertisements permeated the airwaves and interwebs as plant-based 'meats' were on the rise. In fact, Beyond Meat waas valued at over $10bn in 2019, more than Macy's or Xerox - with the most bullish investors claiming that plant-based meat would make up 15% of all meat sales by 2030.
Now, as Bloomberg reports, the fake meat industry is getting ground into hamburger - and that doesn't include cannibalistic nose-biting execs, according to Deloitte Consulting, LLC.
Sales of refrigerated meat alternatives at retailers are down 10.5% by volume for the 52-weeks ending September 4, 2022, according to data from Information Resources Inc., or IRI. While higher prices are the top reason for the slide, it’s not the only one, according to Jonna Parker, a fresh food specialist at the market research company. -Bloomberg
"Proteins that were cheaper on a price-per-pound basis did fare better," said Parker, who noted that semi-vegetarian shoppers who used to opt for the alternative product will now choose the less-expensive real thing. In short, people are less willing to pay a premium for fake meat, especially considering that 'taste and health concerns' are playing a role.
According to Deloitte, the fake meat industry has a perception problem. Based on a July survey of 2,000 consumers, there's been a decline in the belief that plant-based meat is actually healthier and environmentally sustainable vs. meat from animals.