IN THE CUT: This Holy Grail of plant-based meat is coming to a plate near you
With rising interest in foods that align with their values, U.S. consumers are purchasing plant-based meats more than ever before–and companies are meeting the moment, leading to increased variety and continued industry growth.
BRIAN KATEMAN: If you’ve had your fill of Impossible Whoppers and Beyond Tacos for now, there’s a new meatless fast food option at your local drive-through. KFC, in case you haven’t heard, recently debuted its new Beyond Fried Chicken – a bucket full of crispy, plant-based chick’n nuggets that are said to give actual poultry a (chicken) run for its money.
But while fast food is catching up with the times, food science and technology leaders are on to the next challenge: whole cuts of meat, like steaks and filets, made from plants. Your local freezer aisle and, chances are, your favorite quick service chain probably offer enough homogenous meaty plant foods, like nuggets, burgers, and sausages, to last a lifetime. At this point, the market is fairly saturated. But if you’re a plant-based eater who craves a steak from time to time, or a strict omnivore hoping to cut back on meat without feeling like you’re missing out, whole cuts are still a rarity. But they might not be for much longer…
Consider Japanese company Next Meats, which recently debuted their plant-based skirt steak and short rib at a handful of stores and restaurants in California. It makes dishes like plant-based fajitas more true to their original form than they would be with most pre-existing plant-based meat products… “The next evolution of Next will be a premium plant-based meat, launching August 1st, 2022, produced in California,” says Koki Terui, Chief Executive Officer of Next Meats USA. “It is a product that has identical texture and mouthfeel to an animal-derived protein”…
Here in the states, MyForest Foods may be the only company to beat Next Meats to the whole-cut punch. And if you haven’t heard of them, it’s probably because each of its limited production runs have quickly sold out since the launch of their fungi-based bacon in November 2020; At the moment, MyForest Foods MyBacon strips are only available from the Honest Weight Food Co-Op in Albany, New York, but the company has plans to expand this year…
And land animals aren’t the only ones the plant-based industry is coming after with whole cuts. In fact, 80% of fish is consumed in the form of whole cuts, like filets. Not unlike plant-based chicken and beef alternatives, however, most of the veggie fish products on the market are styled after fish sticks or another kind of fishy ground. An Israeli company called Plantish is looking to change that. They’ve developed a plant-based salmon filet that’s meant to resemble the actual fish both in taste and texture…
“There really is no limit to the innovation possible in plant-based meat and the development of whole cuts,” says Rachel Dreskin, CEO of the Plant Based Foods Association. “Each time a novel ingredient is used, or a new technique is discovered, more ideas are sparked, allowing for continuous and exciting development in this category. With rising interest in foods that align with their values, U.S. consumers are purchasing plant-based meats more than ever before–and companies are meeting the moment, leading to increased variety and continued industry growth”. SOURCE…
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