I have written a couple of articles about the competitive market of plant-based meat substitutes and how various startups must be better than their competitors in order to stay afloat in this competitive arena of taste and nutrition. Just a year ago, Impossible Burger® rolled out its Impossible patty 2.0. Nestle® also launched its improved Garden Gourmet Burger patties this year and a few other European and American startups improved their plant-based patty formulas in the last 14 months. This quality competition is a good thing for consumers. Beyond Meat® is pleasantly surprising us with not one but two new meatless patties in 2021.
So, what is different about the new Beyond Meat patties?
Beyond Meat did not add any new ingredients to its existing patty formula. We’ve been told that the new and improved patties will be a lot juicier and tastier. So, the savory taste of the new healthier patties won’t be compromised. On the contrary, it will taste even more succulent, the CEO claims.
Significant changes will be in the amount of saturated fat and caloric content. New Beyond patty will have 35% less saturated fat than its beef counterpart that has an 80% lean to 20% fat ratio and the other patty will have 55% less saturated fat which is quite a significant drop.
No major modifications, same great taste
The way this was accomplished, without adding or taking away any new ingredients is the processing and layering of the existing ingredients like beans, oils, and grains into the final patty. On the company’s official website CEO’s words state: “I am personally thrilled to introduce this new Beyond Burger® platform as it speaks so clearly to what our brand and company stands for,” said Ethan Brown, CEO, and Founder, Beyond Meat®. “Our commitment is to provide consumers with absolutely delicious plant-based meats that are better for people and the planet, no sacrifice required. These new iterations deliver on this promise, and I am immensely proud of our team’s ability to make such strong advances in taste, juiciness, and nutrition through our Rapid and Relentless Innovation program. Just as you can find different varieties of ground beef, consumers will now have more choice to satisfy their individual nutritional needs and preferences.”
Some final words
Considering that McDonald’s® is launching its plant-based patty early in 2021 and a couple of new startups are also revamping their assortments of meatless patties, this move by Beyond Meat® is good for the company which is working hard to maintain the image of the faux beef pioneer. We can’t wait to put the new patties to the taste test.