Fake Meat’s Beyond Impossible Quest to Win Over Americans
A century of alternatives to animal flesh have failed to gain traction despite promises of great taste, health benefits and a more virtuous sex life.
Eat meat, win votes.
Photographer: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP
Not so long ago, alternative protein products like Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger promised to consign conventional beef, pork and chicken to the culinary dark ages. The companies’ stock prices soared, as did their market share. But consumers lost their appetite for fake meat in 2022, with the industry posting significant declines here in the US.
Divorcing Americans from their carnivorous habits has always been an uphill battle. For nearly two centuries, a colorful cast of eccentrics and entrepreneurs have pushed alternatives to meat only to see the real thing regain its place of pride on the nation’s tables. Until fake meat is indistinguishable from the real thing — and poses no ethical dilemmas — we’re unlikely to see a change.