This was supposed to be the year of the fake chicken.
The alt-meat wars began in earnest in 2016, when Impossible Foods Inc.’s burger landed in Momofuku Nishi in New York City and Beyond Meat Inc.’s burger hit dozens of Whole Foods meat departments a few months later. Impossible beat Beyond to a national fast-food launch, but Beyond beat Impossible to supermarket domination. As the two were battling it out, established manufacturers as well as a handful of new entrants jumped into the race—and beat both front runners to vegan chicken.
