[dashundchen]

I am a vegetarian who eats almost entire vegan. I know a lot of other veg/an and plant based diet people.

My experience for veg/ans matches the article. Substitutes like Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger are almost always a novelty or treat - something you would order out at an omni restaurant, or maybe bring to a cookout where meat eaters were also grilling. It's nice to have as an option but we're used to building our meals around staples like tofu, beans, tempeh, seitan etc.

I hear way more about these newer processed products from meat eaters who think this is what we would eat regularly, or are excited to try them out themselves. After the recent meat shortages and the million pandemic articles about "how to cook beans" I am convinced the actual target market is meat eaters who are looking to build meals around something as close to meat as possible, rather than people who are plant based.

[Animats]

Impossible Burger is not aimed at vegans. It is aimed at carnivores. It's not particularly "organic" or healthy. It just tastes like a Burger King Whopper. It's selling fine, and it has to be very profitable, given the ingredients and the reasonably simple manufacturing process.

[tiziniano]

Now now, that is a very charitable comment about its taste. As usual in food, more processing -> cheaper and lower quality. Sure, it might have similar macronutrients but real health is in getting enough micros.

[Animats]

It wasn't considered "overprocessed" when it was sold at high-end restaurants for too much money. Only after they got it into volume production did the foodies get upset.

[ip26]

Are you suggesting a Burger King Whopper holds the key to real health?

[Animats]

Burger King sells a meat-based Whopper burger and an Impossible Burger based Whopper burger. So you can easily make a direct comparison at any Burger King outlet.

[asdff]

At least for their adoption in places like burger king et al, it's a great way to expand an already massive market. Without that burger, those chains would just have fries and coke for vegetarians, and for many, road trips might today consist of planning stops around the next taco bell for a sure source of black beans.

[Symmetry]

Yeah, as a reducetarian I feel like these products are aimed squarely at me and even if they're more expensive right now I feel like I'm helping with the learning curve for reducing their price when I buy them.

[shlant]

"as a reducetarian"

I applaud you for taking the slow, steady and sustainable route. More people need to realize it's not "all or nothing"

[Symmetry]

Yeah, I've also cut out broiler chickens and try to emphasize sea food.

[cheez]

The plan, as far as I can tell, is to raise the price of meat so "sort of meat" has a place at the table for people who cannot afford real meat.