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Beyond Meat to Launch New Steak Alternative as It Focuses on Health
Beyond Meat will introduce a whole-muscle steak alternative as part of its pivot to win over health-conscious consumers.
CEO Ethan Brown said on Wednesday that the rollout will likely include a partnership with a restaurant chain known for serving healthier food, a departure from its prior strategy of teaming up with fast-food chains like Dunkin’ and McDonald’s.
Beyond already sells plant-based steak tips, but the new product mimics the texture of a filet with mycelium, the rootlike part of fungi.
Brown envisions the steak alternative as a substitute for chicken — topping salads and stuffing burritos as a source of protein.
Beyond’s market value once topped $14 billion, fueling broader investment into plant-based meat and a flood of competitors.
But these days, the company has a market cap under $400 million, reflecting investors’ concerns about the health of the business and the industry’s struggling sales. Its stock has lost a third of its value in 2024.
US Food Insecurity Rate Rose to 13.5% in 2023 as Government Benefits Declined and Food Prices Soared
The official U.S. food insecurity rate rose to 13.5% in 2023 from 12.8% in 2022, according to data the U.S. Department of Agriculture released on Sept. 4.
That means more than 1 in 8 Americans — about 47 million people — couldn’t get enough food for themselves or their families at least some of the time.
This is a significant increase from a recent low of 10.2% in 2021.
Food insecurity grew in the two years that followed due to a sharp decline in government benefits, including money for groceries from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the program that pays for students to get lunch and breakfast for free at school.
Higher food prices, largely driven by rapid inflation, also played a big role, as did elevated housing costs.
What Are ‘Ultra-Processed Foods’ Anyway? Here’s How ‘Healthy’ Labels May Hide Their Dangers
In a world increasingly focused on health and wellness, choosing low-fat, gluten-free, high-fiber, or organic products might seem like the right choice. However, even these seemingly healthy options can be deceptive.
Beneath their appealing packaging and ostensibly healthy labels lies a hidden danger: ultra-processed foods (UPFs).
UPFs are not just ordinary snacks. They are complex industrial creations made from substances like oils, sugars and starches that have been chemically modified and reassembled resulting in items that often bear little resemblance to their original ingredients.
UPFs are designed to be affordable, convenient and shelf-stable, often requiring minimal preparation.
The intensely appealing taste of UPFs is engineered to be highly addictive, leading to overconsumption and making it difficult to feel full, contributing to weight gain.
To achieve this, UPFs are packed with additives like artificial flavors, emulsifiers, colorings, and sweeteners which are the ingredients chosen for their cost-effectiveness and ability to extend shelf life.
Hard-Hitting Warning Labels Should Be on Everyday Food, Say Campaigners
Hard-hitting warning labels should be put on everyday foodstuffs, new taxes imposed on salty products and junk food sponsorship of sport banned to cut rising deaths from heart disease, health campaigners have said.
These “bold” measures should be imposed as part of a determined drive to reduce the number of people dying prematurely from heart attacks and strokes, they said.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is also proposing other action to tackle the U.K. ‘s increasingly bad diet, including bans on junk food firms advertising on billboards or radio.The charity is urging the government to force the food industry to start making its products more nutritious by stripping out what are often high — but hidden — levels of salt and sugar, which are damaging to health.
