 |
| Agri-business giants are branching out with plant-based meat alternatives to try to capitalize on the new trend (AFP Photo/Angela Weiss) |
New York (AFP) - The growing craze for vegetarian versions of juicy burgers and sausages has created such a buzz that even traditional meat producers are trying to get in on the action.
The big
players are trying to capitalize on the success of products from companies like
Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger.
JBS, the
world's largest beef producer, has been marketing a soy burger in Brazil since
the summer, which contains beets, garlic and onions and is similar to a rare
ground beef.
The largest
US meat producer, Tyson Foods, in June launched a new line of plant-based
proteins and meat-vegetable blends called "Raised & Rooted."
And
competitors Hormel Foods, Perdue Farms and Smithfield have unveiled similar
initiatives to take a slice out of this new market.
"Our
food culture is changing at a rapid pace," said Bryan Kreske, brand
manager at Hormel Foods.
There is an
"increasing curiosity and motivation to try great-tasting, alternative
protein sources like plant-based proteins while decreasing their consumption of
animal-based protein."
Regardless
of whether it is the start of a new trend, or a passing fancy, the agri-food
giants do not want to miss the opportunity.
Rather than
target vegetarians, they are going after the 95 percent of consumers who eat
meat.
But unlike
the upstart alternative meat companies, which cite the carbon footprint of
raising cows and other livestock, traditional players have a harder time using
environmental or animal rights arguments to promote their products.
Instead
they often focus on health benefits.
"It's
more about our clients wanting to get more plants and vegetables into their
diet and less about reducing meat consumption," said Eric Christianson,
marketing manager at Perdue.
Best known
for its chicken, Perdue in September released their "Chicken Plus"
products, which include kid-friendly nuggets, made of a mix of chicken,
chickpeas and cauliflower -- which they say is perfect for parents trying to
get their kids to eat vegetables.
 |
Beyond Meat
"Beyond Burger" patties are one of the options for plant-based proteins,
which now include chicken, shrimp and sausage alternatives (AFP
Photo/Angela Weiss)
|
The company
is betting big on this new product: earmarking half of its 2020 marketing
budget to promoting it, spending especially heavily in January, "when
people are really going to be in the mood to eat healthy," Christianson
said.
'Plant
curious' consumer
Soy burgers
have been around for decades. But Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger have been
working for the last 10 years to create products that are closer to the taste,
texture and flavor of real meat, thanks to ingredients such as beets.
These products
jumped into the headlines this year with their introduction in fast food
chains, such as Burger King's Impossible Burger, and with Beyond Meat's
spectacular Wall Street debut.
Traditional
meat producers quickly jumped on the bandwagon.
At Hormel,
the Happy Little Plants brand "moved swiftly from a conceptual idea rooted
in the 'plant curious' consumer... to a commercially viable product line in
just under 13 weeks," Kreske said.
But while
these meat producers have no plans to abandon their main business, Impossible
Foods says its mission is to replace animal proteins in the food system by
2035.
That might
be overly optimistic. In the market for milk alternatives, plant-based drinks
such as soy or almond milk make up just 13 percent of sales.
"For
dairy, there's really a health reason" to not consume milk products,
including allergies, said Perdue's Christianson.
But for
meat, "it becomes more of a lifestyle choice to eat healthier."
Still, the
alternative meat segment could become "significant," he said.
Robert
Martin, who specializes in food policies at the Center for a Livable Future at
Johns Hopkins University, said the traditional producers are entering the
plant-based meat market "in their own economic self-interest," so
they do not lose market share.
He called
the trend "troubling" and cautioned "it could have the side
effect of stifling innovation and competition."
Even so, he
views any plant-based alternative as "a positive step," adding that
bigger players can bring "economies of scale" to producing these
plant-based products, therefore reducing prices.
"They
quit talking about themselves as meat companies, they now call themselves a
protein company," Martin said.
Related Article:
No comments:
Post a Comment