Meatless Meat

Florida Successfully Defends Lab-Grown Meat Ban in Court

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:43:12 GMT

A federal appeals court ruled that Florida, the first state to ban lab-grown meat, can continue to enforce state law SB 1084, keeping the state’s restrictions fully in place.

The March 23 ruling from a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the ban does not conflict with federal regulations.

Upside Foods, a California company that was approved to make cultivated chicken for U.S. sale in 2022, brought the case forward. The company argued that federal oversight should override Florida’s restrictions, but the court disagreed.

“Because Florida’s ban on lab-grown meat does not regulate Upside’s ingredients, premises, facilities, or operations, federal law does not preempt SB 1084,” wrote Circuit Judge Andrew Brasher, as reported by the Florida Phoenix .

SB 1084, which took effect in July 2024, bans the manufacture, sale and distribution of cultivated meat. Six other states — Alabama, Indiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska and Texas — have enacted similar bans since Florida took action.

Florida leaders who backed the ban celebrated the ruling. CBS 12 reports that Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said it protects traditional farmers and argued that lab-grown meat isn’t proven safe. Gov. Ron DeSantis also praised the decision, saying lab-grown meat won’t be allowed in Florida.

Cultivated meat supporters say these bans block a growing industry, eliminate future jobs, and shut down marketplace competition before the products can gain a foothold, CBS 12 reports.

Signed by DeSantis in 2024 to support traditional agriculture, the state law makes violations punishable by up to 60 days in jail.

“Take your fake lab-grown meat elsewhere,” DeSantis said in Food Safety News in 2024. “We are not doing that in the State of Florida.”

Pig Fat Cell Production Could Transform Lab-Grown Meat

Fri, 30 May 2025 14:33:23 GMT

Lab-grown fat cells offer promise for cultivated meat, according to research from The Roslin Institute . A source of fat cells from pigs has been developed in the lab that offers scientists and food manufacturers a promising tool for the large-scale production of cultivated meat without the need for genetic modification.

“We didn’t simply develop a tool, we made a very special discovery,” says Tom Thrower, lead researcher at The Roslin Institute. “The fact that these cells not only grow indefinitely but also retain their ability to become fat at such high efficiency is something we have never seen before in livestock stem cells. It opens the door to new possibilities in cultivated meat and beyond.”

Researchers say the development could address the challenge of generating realistic, sustainable animal fat — a significant hurdle in the cultivated meat industry as the new cells are capable of efficiently producing fat tissue with consistency.

Stem cells turning into fat cells over a span of 40 days. Accumulated fat is shown in green.

(The Roslin Institute)

“The cells, known as FaTTy, are formed from early-stage stem cells which develop into fat and can grow indefinitely in the lab without losing the ability to reliably produce fat cells,” the Roslin Institute reports. “In contrast, most animal stem cells quickly lose this capability, making large-scale use impractical.”

This helps meet the need for fat as a key component in delivering the flavor and texture consumers expect from meat, the article says.

Researchers grew stem cells derived from five piglets and discovered cells from one of the piglets was able to reproduce hundreds of times without the need for gene editing. The results also showed that the fat produced closely resembled native pig fat in its composition, with slightly higher levels of healthier monounsaturated fats.

“These fat cells have the potential to be a game-changer in the field of cultivated meat and will help make this a reality in the very near future,” says Xavier Donadeu, principal investigator at The Roslin Institute.

This research was published in NPJ Science of Food .

Your Next Read: Will New Pork Campaign and Market Conditions Revive Domestic Demand?

Nebraska Legislators Speak Out Against Lab-Grown Meat

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 20:46:35 GMT

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and state senators are introducing legislation to protect consumers, grow agriculture and defend agriculture. One of those efforts is to keep lab-grown meat from being manufactured, distributed or sold in Nebraska.

Sen. Barry DeKay introduced a bill that defines “cultivated food protein” and requires those products to be labeled “adulterated food products” under the Pure Food Act, a release said.

“There are clear, recognized benefits of meat as a source of protein. It is uncertain whether manufactured meat protein is a substitute for natural meat sources as essential dietary needs. I question elevating lab meat to a level of equivalency with real meat,“ DeKay explained.

Unless there are clear labeling rules that adequately disclose that cultured meat is not real meat, DeKay said its sale allows lab meats to unfairly benefit from industry investments in marketing and production.

“What’s more, this industry is supported by organizations that want to do away with animal production in Nebraska and the United States,” DeKay added. “This is part of the process that we’re going to go through to make sure our way of life, our livestock, and our product that we can put on the dinner table stays intact going forward.”

As the first farmer-governor in more than 100 years, Pillen said he knows how important it is that agriculturists take steps to preserve their way of life, for the benefit of those who consume their products.

“We feed the world and save the planet,” Pillen said. “It’s important we get on the offense so that Nebraska farmers and ranchers are not undermined. Our job is to protect consumers, grow agriculture and defend agriculture. Most of us want government out of our hair, but there are places where government needs to step in and protect us.”

Your Next Read: Legislation Restricting Sales of Lab-Grown Meat Has Strong Bipartisan Support

FDA Releases Draft Guidance for Labeling Plant-Based Animal-Derived Foods

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 18:24:02 GMT

On Monday, Jan. 6, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a draft guidance on labeling plant-based foods that are marketed and sold as alternatives to conventional animal products and a public comment period is open.

“Because definitions and standards of identity have not been established for plant-based alternatives, these foods are non-standardized foods and must be labeled with their common or usual names, or in the absence thereof, a statement of identity that accurately describes the food,” according to the draft guidelines.

According to the FDA, consumer demand for plant-based alternatives to animal products including eggs, seafood, poultry, meat, and dairy has increased over time. The total U.S. retail plant-based food dollar sales grew from $5.5 billion in 2019 to $8.1 billion in 2023.

“Consumers should be able to easily see and determine the particular plant source when looking at the name of the food on the label,” the document says.

Currently there are no established guidelines for labeling plant-based alternative meat products and the draft of the guidelines aims to answer several questions including:

What should be included in the statement of identity for a plant-based alternative food that also includes the name of a food that has an established definition and standard of identity (e.g., “cheddar cheese”)?
What are important considerations when using “plant-based [animal derived food]” (e.g., “plant-based fish nuggets,” “plant-based sausage,” etc.) as part of the name for plant-based alternative foods?
How should plant-based alternative foods that are blends of different plant sources be labeled?
What are important considerations when using “[animal or meat]-free” or “non[animal or meat]” in the labeling of plant-based alternative foods?
What are important considerations when using a modified spelling, such as Chik’N, Be’f, Cheeze, as a name for plant-based alternative foods?
How should the statement of identity appear on the label?
What are important considerations when labeling plant-based alternative foods as “vegan” or “meat-free”?
Can vignettes or other statements be used to convey characterizing flavors?

Public comments are being accepted through May 5, 2025. Use this link to review document and comment.

Your next read: GOP to Propose ‘Biggest Bill in American History'; Includes Tax Cuts, Deregulation and Border Security

Legislation Restricting Sales of Lab-Grown Meat Has Strong Bipartisan Support

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 13:43:47 GMT

A majority of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents support legislation mandating “lab-grown meat” labeling and other restrictions according to new polling released by the Center for the Environment and Welfare (CEW).

With Florida and Alabama having already passed laws banning the sale and manufacture of the product, and Iowa passing labeling restrictions and banning lab meat from school lunch programs, lab-grown meat is at the forefront of national conversation.

Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Jon Tester (D-MT) have also introduced federal legislation to ban lab-grown meat from school cafeterias.

Poll highlights include:
• 58% of total respondents (62% Republican, 55% Independent, 56% Democrat) support legislation to restrict the sale of lab-grown meat
• 63% of total respondents (70% Republican, 61% Independent, 59% Democrat) oppose lab-grown meat in school lunch programs
• 75% of Republicans, 67% of Independents, and 60% of Democrats would not be willing to include lab-grown meat in their diet

The complete poll is available here.

Iowa Third State to Create Legislation Regarding Lab-Grown Meat

Tue, 21 May 2024 14:15:35 GMT

In an effort to maintain trust with consumers and protect livestock producers, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds recently signed into law SF 2391 , a bill prohibiting the misbranding of certain food products, including lab-grown meat.

Beginning July 1, lab-grown meat and plant-based imitation meat and egg products will have to be labeled with words such as fake, lab-grown, meatless, imitation or vegan, if sold in Iowa stores. The labeling requirements also apply to meat alternatives made with insect protein.

Gov. Reynolds shared her response to signing SF 2391.

“This legislation prohibits companies from exploiting the trust consumers have with our livestock producers and misleading consumers into buying products they don’t want,” she says. “This is about transparency. It’s about the common-sense idea that a product labeled chicken, beef, or pork, should actually come from an animal.”

Rep. Heather Hora, R-Washington, sponsored the bill in the House. As a pork producer herself, she says the bill protects farmers’ checkoff dollars that are used to market meat and eggs.

According to an Iowa Public Radio (IPR) article, the law will require the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing to inspect food processing plants or grocery stores for compliance if they receive a credible complaint about food products being mislabeled as meat. The law also provides penalties for not following labeling rules.

Furthermore, the law prohibits school districts, community colleges and public universities in Iowa from purchasing lab-grown meat and any foods misbranded as meat or egg products. In addition, the law requires the state to request a federal waiver to prohibit the use of federal food assistance to buy imitation egg products.

While many praised the legislation, some Democrats said their issue was with the purchase of egg alternatives.

IPR reported Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, says he was proud to vote for the original version of the bill but had concerns with the final version.

“Truth in labeling is certainly something that I strongly believe in for consumer protection,” he says. “But I’m also concerned with consumer nutrition. And there are some people who can’t eat eggs because of allergies but still need the nutritive content that might be supplied by alternative products.”

That same day, Gov. Reynolds signed HF 2649 , a bill providing capital gains relief for farmers and ranchers selling certain classes of livestock. This was a bill to reinstate previous tax break exemptions that had ended in 2022.

“Our tax code should promote livestock production, which we know is often how beginning farmers get their start in agriculture,” says Rep. Derek Wulf, R-Hudson, who co-sponsored the bill. “We know that livestock production supports rural communities and drives our rural economic activity…We want to make sure that we don’t increase taxes on our livestock producers and farmers here in this state.”

Continued legislation against lab-grown meat

Iowa becomes the third state in the country to pass legislation regarding lab-grown meat. Florida and Alabama both passed laws banning the sale of the cell cultured alternative meat product in their states this month. Florida’s law was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on May 1, 2024, and Alabama’s Gov. Kay Ivey signed the Alabama Bill , which the prohibits “the manufacture, sale, or distribution of food products made from cultured animal cells,” on May 7.

Jack Hubbard, executive director of the Center for the Environment and Welfare, shares that consumers have several concerns in the matters of cell cultured meat.

“Policymakers nationwide are grappling with growing consumer concern regarding lab-grown meat’s use of immortalized cells, bioreactors, chemicals and the lack of long-term health studies,” Hubbard says. “I think a lot of this legislative activity is politicians and elected representatives voicing and acting on the concerns of constituents who are saying ‘what is this stuff and have we done our due diligence.’ And to be frank, there is a major yuck factor that a lot of people have when they actually learn about how this is made.”

Hubbard see additional states likely following suit in creating legislation.

“From a transparency perspective, it just seems like the right thing that consumers ought to have a right to know what they’re buying,” he says.

Read more...
North American Cattle Groups Advocates for Oversight of Lab-Grown Proteins

Plant-Based Meat Analogues Aren't Better for Your Heart, Study Says

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 19:26:36 GMT

A new study debunks plant-based meat analogue product claims to be healthier for your diet than real meat.

Researchers in Singapore published their findings in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , comparing the effects of diets based on plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) and traditional animal-based meats. The 8-week, randomized controlled trial study looked specifically at levels of cholesterol and blood sugar in Singaporeans at risk for type 2 diabetes. Researchers found no significant changes in cholesterol profiles for either diet, though both diets were linked to improvements in some blood sugar markers.

“Despite the emergence of PBMAs as a source of alternative protein foods within the global food system, the results of the current study do not substantiate superior cardiometabolic health benefits of PBMDs compared to an omnivorous diet composed of animal-based meats,” researchers wrote.

With no clear advantage of one diet over the other in improving heart health, researchers suggest that plant-based diet benefits may not be applicable to PBMAs.

Researchers encouraged the food industry to re-evaluate the production of next generation PBMAs with improved nutritional attributes and bioaccessibility.

Read More:

Is There Room at the Table for Meat and Alternative Proteins?

FDA Approves Lab-Grown Chicken for the First Time

Fri, 18 Nov 2022 20:57:22 GMT

The FDA approved lab-grown chicken for the first time, greenlighting products from startup Upside Foods for human consumption. If Upside gets USDA approval next, the company said it could start pumping out 50,000 pounds of “no-kill” meat products every year.

The news follows Upside’s April announcement that it had secured $400 million in Series C funding, moving the company “from R&D to commercialization,” according to CEO Uma Valeti.

“Our team...continues to overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges in our mission to make our favorite food a force for good,” said Valeti.

Upside, with 140 employees, has now garnered over $600 million in funding from names like Bill Gates and meat companies Tyson and Cargill.

Brian Sikes, Cargill COO, stresses his team’s commitment to meatless meat:

“Our continued support for UPSIDE’s innovative work underscores Cargill’s commitment to an inclusive approach to wholesome, sustainable protein that will meet customer and consumer needs now and in the future.”

Meanwhile, Beyond Meat announced it would lay off 19% of staff last month, and retail sales in the plant-based meat industry overall have dropped 10% in the past year.

More on lab-grown meat :

Beyond Meat Faces Lawsuit Over False Protein Content and Quality Claims
Hoxton Farms Raises $22 Million for Cultivated Animal Fat

Hoxton Farms Raises $22 Million for Cultivated Animal Fat

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 17:44:40 GMT

By Juliette Portala

Editor’s note: The following article is provided as news about the alternative protein industry. It is not intended to be an endorsement or advocacy by either Drovers or Farm Journal.

London-based Hoxton Farms said on Thursday it had raised $22 million from investors to build a pilot plant to produce animal fat from stem cells, aiming to tap into the growing market for less carbon-intensive foods.

Many people in developed countries are looking to cut their consumption of traditional meat, but some find plant-based alternatives less satisfying to eat or cook with.

Hoxton Farms seeks to address the issue by producing animal fat from stem cells that can then be used as an ingredient in plant-based products.

“The result is not an alternative. It’s real fat tissue, just made in a different way,” co-founder Max Jamilly told Reuters.

“Coconut, sunflower, palm, and canola oil taste funky, degrade quickly, burn easily, melt inconsistently,” he said in a statement.

The Series A funding round was led by Collaborative Fund, an early backer of Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, and supported by Fidelity parent FMR LLC-affiliated Fine Structure Ventures.

The investment, which follows a small seed funding round last year, will be used to build Hoxton Farms’ pilot facility in London’s trendy Shoreditch area, and to expand headcount.

Growing demand for food supplies as the global population rises, coupled with climate change lowering production capacity, “means we’re heading for a food security crisis,” Jamilly said.

“Long term, it may be possible to feed the entire planetary population with plants alone,” he added. “But the reality is that’s not going to happen anytime soon.”

Sales of plant-based meat in western Europe rose 19% to a record 2.3 billion euros ($2.25 billion) in 2021, according to food sustainability NGO the Good Food Institute. However, sales stalled in the United States. ($1 = 1.0221 euros)

Reporting by Juliette Portala Editing by Simon Jessop and Mark Potter

Beyond Meat Faces Lawsuit Over False Protein Content and Quality Claims

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 17:47:54 GMT

Some “protein alternatives” manufactured by Beyond Meat, Inc., have been found to contain less protein than the company claims.

A complaint filed in the Southern District of Iowa accuses the company of misrepresenting protein in nine products. The plaintiffs argue that Beyond Meat, Inc., miscalculated and overstated the protein content and quality in nine separate products on their labeling, website, and promotional and marketing materials.

Additionally, the plaintiffs note the Beyond Meat, Inc., “misleads consumers into believing that the products provide equivalent nutritional benefits to that found in traditional meat-based products,” the court documents state .

When testing a product for protein content, the “Nitrogen Content Method” is most often used to determine the nitrogen content of the food. Additionally, Beyond Meat, Inc., products must be tested for quality through the Protein Digestibility Amino Acid Correct Score (PDCAAS), which labels the actual amount of digestible protein (in grams) per serving. The PDCAAS also leads to the Daily Reference Value stated as a percentage (DV%) on the product label.

The court documents explain that independent lab testing reveals the DV% of protein in all of the nine products is actually less than the DV% represented by Beyond Meat, Inc. For example, the Beyond Beef Plant-Based Ground 16 oz. Patties claim to have 20 grams of protein per serving and 40% DV. However, the product contains only 19 grams per serving and 7% DV.

The full product list and protein content has been provided.

(Farm Journal)

The plaintiffs have sued the company under five causes of action, including:

• Violation Of The State Consumer Fraud Acts

• Violation Of Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act

• Breach of Express Warranty

• Breach of Implied Warranty

• Unjust Enrichment

The plaintiffs include three consumers from across the U.S. who have purchased Beyond Meat, Inc., products over the last several months. The plaintiffs also claim they would not have purchased the products at the premium price had they known the correct protein content.

Impossible Foods Cuts Faux Meat Prices By 20% At Grocery Stores

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 17:30:25 GMT

Feb 2 (Reuters) - Impossible Foods said on Tuesday it would cut the prices of its faux meat patties by 20% at U.S. grocery stores as the plant-based protein maker ramps up production with a larger plan to eventually undercut ground beef prices.

Impossible Foods, the maker of the plant-based Impossible Burger, and rival Beyond Meat Inc have been the leaders in plant-based alternatives over the past two years as consumers, worried about their health, environmental impact and animal welfare, look to broaden or shift from chicken, pork and beef-based diets.

Demand for plant-based meat also rose during the pandemic after beef and pork producers shut many meat plants to curb the rapid spread of the coronavirus outbreak. California-based Impossible Foods, which has already cut prices for food distributors twice in one year, said it would keep lowering prices of their products.

The suggested retail prices for Impossible Burger would drop to $5.49 in about 17,000 U.S. grocery stores, the company said in a statement, adding that it will introduce similar price cuts at retail stores in Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong.

(Reporting by Uday Sampath in Bengaluru, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)

Impossible Foods Cuts Wholesale Prices By 15% for Second Time in One Year

PepsiCo, Beyond Meat Partner to Develop New Plant-Based Snacks

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 17:59:32 GMT

Jan 26 (Reuters) - PepsiCo Inc and Beyond Meat Inc said on Tuesday they would form a joint venture to develop and sell snacks and beverages made from plant-based protein.

Beyond Meat’s shares, which gained about 65% last year, were up 22.4% in premarket trading, while those of PepsiCo were up 1%.

Plant-based meat alternatives, such as burger patties and sausages from Beyond Meat, have gained in popularity in recent years as curious health-conscious consumers look to broaden or shift from chicken, pork and beef-based diets.

Beyond Meat suffered a surprise loss in its last reported quarter as demand for its products at restaurants and grocery stores tapered after an initial surge at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new partnership with PepsiCo will give the faux meat maker access to the beverage giant’s distribution and marketing resources and allow it to expand into new product lines, Beyond Meat Chief Executive Officer Ethan Brown said.

PepsiCo, which apart from its namesake soda owns the Lays, Quaker and Gatorade brands, has also been looking to expand its portfolio of health-focused snacks and beverages.

“Plant-based proteins represent an exciting growth opportunity for us, a new frontier in our efforts to build a more sustainable food system,” said Ram Krishnan, PepsiCo global chief commercial officer.

The financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed and the operations will be managed through a newly created entity, PLANeT Partnership LLC.

(Reporting by Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)

Real MEAT Act 2019 Introduced

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:52:42 GMT

Introduction of a federal bill to require plant-based and cell-cultured protein products to be labeled as “imitation” meat was welcomed by beef producer groups.

Introduced by Congressmen Anthony Brindisi (D-NY) and Roger Marshall (R-KS), the bill states that “any imitation meat food product, beef, or beef products shall be deemed to be misbranded unless its label bears… the word ‘imitation’ immediately before or after the name of the food and a statement that clearly indicates the product is not derived from or does not contain meat.’”

Both the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association support the proposed legislation.

“A growing number of fake meat products are clearly trying to mislead consumers about what they’re trying to get them to buy,” said NCBA President and Tennessee cattlewoman Jennifer Houston in a statement. “Consumers need to be protected from deceptive marketing practices, and cattle producers need to be able to compete on a fair, level playing field.”

Lia Biondo, Director of Policy and Outreach for the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, said in a statement, “USCA members have played a critical role in the effort to ensure Truth in Labeling, not only on beef products Born, Raised and Harvested in the U.S.A., but also on alternative protein products. The Real MEAT Act satisfies part of USCA’s ask to USDA FSIS in its 2018 petition for rulemaking by defining ‘beef’ as a product that is derived exclusively from the flesh of a bovine animal.”

Specifically, The Real Meat Act will:

1. Codify the Definition of Beef for Labeling Purposes

• Establish a federal definition of beef that applies to food labels;

• Preserve the Congressional Intent of the Beef Promotion and Research Act;

2. Reinforce Existing Misbranding Provisions to Eliminate Consumer Confusion

• FDA has misbranding provisions for false or misleading labels;

• Prevent further consumer confusion with alternative protein products;

• Clarify the imitation nature of these alternative protein products;

3. Enhance the Federal Government’s Ability to Enforce the Law

• FDA will have to notify USDA if an imitation meat product is determined to be misbranded;

• If FDA fails to undertake enforcement within 30 days of notifying USDA, the Secretary of Agriculture is granted authority to seek enforcement action.

“Consumers should be able to rely on the information on food labels they see on the shelves to be truthful and not deceptive,” Rep. Marshall said. “For years now, alternative protein products have confused many consumers with misleading packaging and creative names for products. With this bill, consumers can be sure that the meat products they are buying are indeed real meat.”

“American families have a right to know what’s in their food,” Rep. Brindisi said. “Accurate labeling helps consumers make informed decisions and helps ensure families have access to a safe, abundant, affordable food supply. This bill is about safety and transparency, and will make sure that meat-lovers and vegans alike have the transparency and honest labels that can allow customers to make their own decisions.”

Consumers Prefer Real Beef Over Alternatives

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:51:27 GMT

Alternative protein products may have drawn rave reviews and national headlines this year, but consumers still prefer real beef produced on real farms.

That’s the conclusion of a survey of about 1,800 U.S. food consumers conducted by Purdue University’s Jayson Lusk, Ghent University post-doctoral research fellow Ellen Van Loo and Michigan State University agricultural economist Vincenzina Caputo.

The study asked consumers to make a number of simulated shopping choices. With each choice they had five options: conventional farm-raised beef, a plant-based burger made with pea protein, a plant-based burger made with animal-like protein, lab grown meat, or they could choose not to buy any of the products.

Holding prices constant, the authors found 72% of respondents chose farm raised beef, 16% plant-based meat alternatives, 7% plant-based animal-like protein, and 5% lab grown meat.

“Adding brand names (Certified Angus Beef, Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and Memphis Meats) actually increased the share choosing farm raised beef to 80%,” the authors said. “Environment and technology information had minor effects on conditional market shares but reduced the share of people not buying any meat (alternative) options, indicating information pulled more people into the market.”

Consumers also strongly objected to the use of the term “beef” on the label of a plant-based product, according to the resulting report, “Consumer Preferences for Farm-Raised Meat, Lab-Grown Meat, and Plant-Based Meat Alternatives: Does Information or Brand Matter?”

Further, the survey found that even if plant- and lab-based alternative experienced significant (50%) price reductions, farm raised beef maintains a majority market share.

“Vegetarians, males, and younger, more highly educated individuals tend to have relatively stronger preferences for the plant- and lab-based alternatives relative to farm-raised beef. Respondents are strongly opposed to taxing conventional beef and to allowing the plant- and lab-based alternatives to use the label ‘beef.’”

Beyond Meat Posts Mixed Second Quarter Results

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:50:18 GMT

Beyond Meat reported its second-quarter earnings on Monday, and traders called the news mixed.

Wall Street analysts expected a loss of 8 cents per share, but the company reported a loss of 24 cents per share. Second quarter revenue, however, was better than expected, $67.3 million vs. analysts expectations of $52.7 million.

Shares of the company ticked up 1% in extended trading.

“We are very pleased with our second quarter results which reflect continued strength across our business as evidenced by new foodservice partnerships, expanded distribution in domestic retail channels, and accelerating expansion in our international markets. We believe our positive momentum continues to demonstrate mainstream consumers’ growing desire for plant-based meat products both domestically and abroad,” said Ethan Brown, Beyond Meat’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

“Looking ahead, we will continue to prioritize efforts to increase our brand awareness, expand our distribution channels, launch new innovative products, and invest in our infrastructure and internal capabilities in order to deliver against the robust demand we are seeing across our business.”

Beyond Meat ‘Tastes Like Overpriced Falafel'

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:49:48 GMT

George Atuan has some interesting and astute observations about your competition, and a vision that may impact your financial success. His latest column is titled “Beyond Meat: An Overpriced Falafel.”

Wait…this is more than just a carnivore’s rant about fake meat. Atuan is a financial columnist for Seeking Alpha, and his study of the plant-based protein startup was designed to help him offer sound investment advice for Beyond Meat stock.

I, along with other card-carrying members of the Heartland Chapter of GCA (that’s Gravy Connoisseurs of America) am convinced fake meat will remain a niche player in the meat industry for the foreseeable future. But how fast these fake meat products capture market share is dependent on money from investors, so the observations of someone like Atuan are important.

George Atuan is the founder and portfolio manager at RedFox Capital, Santiago, Chile , which offers investment advice to high net worth individuals and institutional investors. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Toronto, an MBA from York University and he speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. Whew.

He writes as a free-lance contributor to Seeking Alpha, which offers market insights and financial analysis, investment ideas and stock research written by finance experts.

Atuan is not a dietician or a chef. But, after an in-home comparison of beef burgers and Beyond Meat, Atuan declared the plant-based stuff tasted like “overpriced falafel.”

That word sent me scrambling for a dictionary, because (for me) Atuan might as well have been using Arabic words. Falafel, according to Webster, is “a small croquette made with ground chickpeas or fava beans and spices, often served with salad and tahini in pita bread.”

Here’s Atuan’s description of his first bite of the Beyond Burger:

“At first, I couldn’t pin it, but the second bite took me to my teenage years back in Bethlehem in the Middle East... that is when I realized that Beyond Burgers are just glorified Americanized falafels.”

But, while we may like his comparison, we’re not interested in Atuan’s taste buds. His financial and stock expertise is what we want. Well…if you’re anti-fake meat, Atuan doesn’t disappoint.

Indeed, he offers seven reasons for not buying Beyond Meat stock. Here’s the list:

Problem #1: Tasty, but far from tasting like a real burger.

Problem #2: No moat. Meaning – when better products are made the competition will quickly copy any upgrades.

Problem #3: Tough Competition Ahead. Think Tyson, Nestle and other global behemoths.

Problem #4: Production Bottleneck. Beyond has co-manufacturers, which actually put the product together, and to grow Beyond needs more partners.

Problem #5: Unattractive business economics in steady-state. As Beyond expands it will cease being a niche player, and thus compete with meat packers and find lower returns.

Problem #6: Not a Healthy Substitute. Beyond’s patty has more fat, less protein and four times as much sodium as a beef burger.

Problem #7: Valued to perfection. Atuan says to justify Beyond’s $150 stock price, sales have to reach $22 billion by 2030. Analysts on average forecast full-year 2019 sales of $205 million. In other words, current sales are less than 1% of $22 billion.

Presently, the Beyond patties are priced about 2.4 times higher than the real stuff. I’m no Wall Street analyst and I can’t speak a lick of Arabic, but cowboy logic suggests reaching sales of $22 billion in 10 short years is a tall order.

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Beef: ‘A Destructive And Unnecessary Technology’

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:48:11 GMT

“Animal agriculture is finally being recognized for what it is: a destructive and unnecessary technology.” Those are the words of Pat Brown, CEO and founder of Impossible Foods.

One might forgive professor Brown for making such an outrageous statement . After all, he’s peddling his concoction of plant-based ingredients he calls a burger.

But my objection is not with Brown or his products. I admire the entrepreneurial spirit that led Brown to leave his post as a professor of biochemistry at Stanford to launch Impossible Foods in 2011. The company is now reportedly worth $2 billion.

As a fake meat huckster, however, Brown has crossed a line. Oh, his product is not snake oil. His plant burger is what he says it is – processed plants and other ingredients. Let’s see, Impossible Foods lists water, soy protein concentrate, coconut oil, sunflower oil, natural flavors, 2% or less of: potato protein, methylcellulose, yeast extract, cultured dextrose, food starch modified, soy leghemoglobin, salt, soy protein isolate, mixed tocopherols (Vitamin E), zinc gluconate, thiamine hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), sodium.

That list is certainly one that would require the talents of a biochemist. Is it just me, or does the fact that “natural flavors” is listed as an ingredient draw a red flag for you? Seriously, it either has a flavor or it doesn’t. If it doesn’t, and you have to add flavor, how the hell is that natural?

But I digress. My anger centers on professor Brown’s arrogance and defamation of beef – specifically Impossible Foods’ reliance on misrepresentation of beef’s carbon footprint to sell plant-based burgers.

“We have a simple mission,” Brown states in the company’s Impact Report 2019, “to replace the use of animals as a food-production technology, globally, by 2035.”

Wow. An aggressive, if unrealistic goal. Even by Brown’s estimates, “we still need to scale up more than 100,000-fold. That means that on average, we need to double our production, sales and impact every year for the next 16 years.”

While Impossible Foods and other alternative protein manufacturers may be able to ramp up production fast enough to reach those goals, their business model still depends on creating demand by convincing consumers beef is killing the planet.

“Cows aren’t getting any better at making meat. We are,” Brown claims.

An arrogant statement proving Brown needs to do more research on his competition.

Indeed, cows are getting much better at turning sunshine and green grass into steaks. In fact, the efficiency of the U.S. beef industry has improved rapidly over the last generation. You’re producing the same amount of beef in 2019 as you did in 1977, with one-third fewer cows. Those improvements were made via better animal genetics, better animal nutrition and better animal health and welfare.

Environmental footprint? Significant gains there, too.

Several researchers have looked at beef’s carbon footprint, and one of the first was Jude Capper, a sustainability consultant. Her work found that between 1977 and 2007 , improvements in beef production reduced feed consumption by 19%, land use by 33%, water use by 12% and GHG emissions by 16% per pound of beef produced in America.

More recently, Frank Mitloehner, professor and air quality specialist at UC Davis , says that livestock production in the U.S. accounts for about 3% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation? 26%.

“The developed world’s efforts should focus not on reducing meat and milk consumption,” says Mitloehner, “but rather on increasing efficient meat production in developing countries, where growing populations need more nutritious food.”

Mitloehner says the facts about methane and livestock production are “the cornerstone of debunking all of this hype around why we should eat less animal-based protein. The people who are selling plant-based alternatives are using hype, particularly around methane, and they need to stop.”

Related stories:

Beyond Meat Gets Downgraded

Competition Grows for Alternative Meat

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:31:17 GMT

Competition is growing for meat from alternative sources. Lab-grown and plant-based protein companies say the technology is getting better.

A crop called “Yellow Pea” is one of the main ingredients some of the companies are using for plant-based burgers. Some companies are working on different traits including, efficiency, flavor and even potentially boosting protein content.

Matt Crips of Benson Hill Biosystems says, “When you talk about product development cycles using editing and A.I. breeding approaches, you are talking 3 to 8 years for product development. Whereas, historically, we may have seen product development cycles which would take 7 to 15 years.”

According to the Wall Street Journal, Beyond Meat’s shares have nearly quadrupled from its May initial public offering price. Impossible Foods raised more than $300 million fro private investors in May as well.

Short-Selling Beyond Meat Was a Bad Bet

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:25:47 GMT

Traders who short-sold Beyond Meat’s initial public offering (IPO) have lost more than $150 million since the company began trading on Wall Street May 2, according to data-analytics firm S3 Partners.

That would be enough cash to buy all the cattle in a 100,000-head feedyard. And, given the outlook for Beyond Meat by some of Wall Street’s biggest investment firms, holding those short positions is likely to produce even bigger losses.

Beyond Meat’s stock opened at $103.25 on Thursday, May 30, 2019, a 313% gain from the initial listing price, inflicting a $158.2 million loss on short-sellers, according to Business Insider . Additionally, the price to borrow stock rose to 100%, meaning that it is just as expensive to short the stock as it is to own it.

Obviously, short-selling Beyond Meat was beyond bad, but, more importantly, what is the market telling us about faux meats? First, Beyond Meat’s fantastic IPO suggests many people believe it’s a viable business model, not just a fad.

Sure, Beyond Meat could hit a road bump next week causing the stock price to tumble. But the same could be said for Apple or Amazon.

More likely, however, is news of a partnership that could take the stock even higher. Business Insider also reports McDonald’s is rumored to seek such a partnership, a move one Wall Street firm says would boost Beyond Meat’s stock price another 30%.

Jeffries Financial Group, a New York-based investment bank and financial services company, sent a note to investors saying “Beyond Meat is well positioned to partner with McDonald’s,” adding a deal “makes sense for both parties.”

Jeffries bases its analysis on the fact McDonald’s recently launched a vegan burger in Germany, and said it was paying close attention to the plant-based protein trend in its latest earnings call. Donald Thompson, McDonald’s former CEO and COO, sits on Beyond Meat’s board.

The investment bank also noted archrival Impossible Foods is struggling to meet demand, and it might be unable to meet McDonald’s supply needs.

Should Beyond Meat land a deal with McDonald’s, Jeffries calculates capturing 1% of annual U.S. burger sales under the Golden Arches would generate about $48 million in revenue and lift Beyond Meat’s shares by $4.50.

Analysts at JPMorgan seems to agree with Jeffries. “At least one major quick-service restaurant chain likely will become a customer by the end of the year,” they wrote.

While a 1% share of America’s burger market remains a distant goal for the plant-based variety, the market suggests that hurdle will soon be cleared.

Related stories:

Fake Meat, Real Money

Blended Burger Makes Debut

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:25:43 GMT

Could consumers wary of plant-based burgers be convinced to try a product that lets them cut meat consumption by half? Equilibrium Foods believes its new 50-50 burgers could appeal to that demographic.

The Better Blends burger is a combination of 50% beef and 50% plant ingredients. The blended burger contains less fat, fewer calories and less cholesterol per serving than a traditional burger.

Equilibrium Foods, Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, describes the product as a combination of “beef, vegetable and grain blended burger.”

Additionally, the 50-50 burgers are marketed as antibiotic-free and GMO-free. The burgers are also “free from the top 10 food allergens including dairy, soy and gluten.”

“Many plant-based meat alternatives are highly processed, full of salt and refined ingredients,” company founder and CEO Doug Ridge said in a press release. “Better Blends meat + plant burgers help consumers reduce their consumption of meat by half, and still enjoy what they most love about meat burgers.”

Better Blend burgers have been two years in development. “We see the rise of the flexitarian and blended products as an opportunity for Better Blends products,” Ridge said. He pointed to studies that indicate meat eaters want to reduce how much meat they eat but not necessarily become vegans or vegetarians.

Related stories:

Arby’s Says ‘Impossible’ To Fake Meats

Burger King to Start Selling Plant-Based Impossible Whopper

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:23:53 GMT

The fifth largest U.S. fast food chain in terms of sales is entering the plant-based alternative protein market in a partnership with Impossible Foods.

In an announcement that might have appeared to be an “April Fool’s Joke” after being made on April 1, Burger King and Impossible Foods declared their intention to start selling the Impossible Whopper, a plant-based version of the fast food chain’s primary sandwich.

Burger King will start selling the plant-based burger at 59 restaurants in the St. Louis area as a pilot project. Outside of not featuring an all-beef patty, the rest of the ingredients for the Impossible Whopper will feature freshly sliced tomatoes, fresh lettuce, creamy mayonnaise, ketchup, crunchy pickles, and sliced white onions on a toasted sesame seed bun.

In the joint press release the companies say, “The Impossible WHOPPER is, “All WHOPPER. No beef.” It’s as juicy, craveable and delicious as the original WHOPPER. The limited-time offer makes BURGER KING restaurants the first coast-to-coast quick-service restaurant to serve the award-winning, plant-based meat from food startup Impossible Foods, maker of the Impossible Burger.”

If sales of the Impossible Whopper are successful, the plant-based burger patty could make its way into the more than 7,000 retail locations that Burger King has nationwide. According to restaurant industry magazine QSR , Burger King ranks fifth nationally for sales among fast food chains after accumulating $9.75 billion worth of sales in 2016.

Burger King is the largest fast food chain to start selling a plant-based meat alternative, but in the past few years several national restaurant chains have started partnering with companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat. Carl’s Jr. is currently the largest restaurant to sell a plant-based burger after it started marketing a Beyond Meat product called the Beyond Famous Star at more than 1,100 locations in January 2019. Beyond Meat Burgers started selling nationally at 469 of TGI Fridays’ locations on January 2, 2018. In September 2018, White Castle began selling the plant-based Impossible Slider nationwide .

For more on plant-based and lab-grown meat labeling read the following stories:

NCBA Lays Out Principles for Regulating Fake Meat

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:24:18 GMT

Today the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association submitted official comments to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) outlining key principles for the regulation of fake meat products. The comments, filed in response to Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) Petition Number 18-01 , encourage USDA to look beyond modifying “standards of identity” in order to provide adequate protection for beef producers and consumers.

“It is critical that the federal government step up to the plate and enforce fair and accurate labeling for fake meat,” said Kevin Kester, President of NCBA. “As long as we have a level playing field, our product will continue to be a leading protein choice for families in the United States and around the world.”

NCBA’s regulatory principles are designed to effectively address both plant-based and lab-grown imitation beef products. Specifically, NCBA:

1) Requests that USDA work with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “take appropriate, immediate enforcement action against improperly-labeled imitation products.”

NCBA firmly believes the term beef should only be applicable to products derived from actual livestock raised by farmers and ranchers. For misbranded and mislabeled plant-based protein products, existing legislation gives FDA the authority to take enforcement actions. However, the agency has a history of failing to enforce labeling laws . Rather than expending time and resources to develop a standard of identity the FDA will blatantly ignore, NCBA requests USDA engage with FDA to facilitate immediate, appropriate enforcement actions against imitation meat product labels that clearly violate existing laws.

2) Urges USDA to “assert jurisdiction over foods consisting of, isolated from or produced from cell culture or tissue culture derived from livestock and poultry animals or their parts.”

NCBA believes that USDA-FSIS is the agency best placed to regulate emerging lab-grown meat products. First, USDA-FSIS possesses the technical expertise and regulatory infrastructure to ensure perishable meat food products are safe for U.S. consumers. Lab-grown meat must comply with the same stringent food safety inspection standards as all other meat products.

Second, USDA-FSIS labeling standards provided greater protection against false and misleading marketing claims. Unlike the FDA, USDA-FSIS requires pre-approval of all labels before products hit the marketplace. This will ensure consistent labeling practices across all products, and prevent misleading marketing labels such as “clean meat.”

More Information

In this week’s Beltway Beef podcast, NCBA Director of Government Affairs Danielle Beck discusses the comments that NCBA filed today with the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding the labeling and regulatory jurisdiction of fake meat.

How Missouri Began To Tackle Fake Meat: Missouri Sen. Sandy Crawford

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:24:07 GMT

Missouri might be the first state to enact legislation that requires labeling of plant-based and lab-grown meat to be clear when compared to meat from livestock. But why and how did this legislative effort begin?

Missouri State Sen. Sandy Crawford said the idea began with conversations with the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association and other aligned agriculture commodity groups and restaurants. She shares the process it takes to get farm legislation moved through the state government in this interview with Jared Wareham, Drovers’ New Generation columnist and manager of Top Dollar Angus .

“We wanted to protect our cattlemen in Missouri and protect our beef brand,” Crawford said. With a growing number of companies creating meat in a laboratory or selling products that aren’t beef, she said they started looking for ways to protect the integrity of the meat production chain in Missouri.

Meat currently has definition in the statute and that hasn’t changed, Crawford said. What they “added teeth to” was the portions that talked about how products are labeled—“you can’t misrepresent products that don’t meet the definition of meat that is already in the statute,” she says.

Five other states are looking to model similar legislation off the Missouri bill.

Beef cattle represent $2 billion of an $88 billion agriculture industry in Missouri, she added. “That’s just the cattle themselves…so it is huge for the state of Missouri.”

Listen to AgriTalk visit with Missouri Cattlemen’s Association Executive Vice President, Mike Deering here:

For more on these topics listen to Kester’s interview with AgriTalk below:

See other coverage of this issue:

AgriTalk: Trade, Fake Meat Top of Mind for Cattlemen

‘Fake Meat’ Labeling Bill Passes in Missouri

Japanese Wagyu Ranch Partners with Lab-Grown Meat Company

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:23:16 GMT

A renowned ranch in Japan known for its Wagyu genetics has partnered with a cell-cultured meat company in California to create lab-grown Wagyu beef.

Toriyama Ranch and JUST, Inc. made an official announcement earlier in December of the first of its kind partnership for a farm to provide genetic material to a cell-cultured meat company. Cells from Wagyu beef steaks and even cattle provided by Toriyama Ranch will be made exclusively available to JUST.

The plan is to start out with cell-cultured Wagyu ground beef hamburgers that can be marketed to a wider audience.

“The point is to deliver deliciousness to everyone,” says Wataru Toriyama, owner of the Toriyama Ranch and vice-president of the Toriyama Farming and Food Co., Ltd.

Toriyama Ranch is family owned and has been breeding Wagyu cattle in Japan for three generations.

San Francisco-based JUST, formerly known as Hampton Creek, is a food manufacturing startup that has created such products as eggless-mayonnaise and plant-based egg alternatives.

“We’re gonna make a damn burger and it’s going to taste like a Wagyu burger from Japan,” says Josh Tetrick, CEO of JUST.

Also partnering in the deal is meat and seafood exporter Awano Food Group .

“I’ve been in the meat industry for 30 years now,” says Awano executive Rod Martin. “I think JUST’s way of thinking about the products of the future is how the world will consume protein within 20 years.”

The topic of lab-grown meat has been somewhat controversial in the U.S. with large meat packers like Cargill and Tyson Foods owning shares in cell-cultured meat businesses. There has also been a debate on what to call the emerging products and what regulatory agencies should enforce the production of cell-cultured or “fake meat.”

For more on plant-based and lab-grown meat read the following stories:

Israeli Startups Join Firms Making Lab-Grown 'Clean Meat'

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:22:57 GMT

Several Israeli start-ups have joined a handful of companies around the globe trying to develop lab-grown meat, something they see as a solution to the needs of the world’s ever-growing population and burgeoning demand for food.

The product has been known under different names, including cultured meat, in-vitro or artificial and “clean meat” — a term advocates say underscores its environment-friendly nature. It’s basically made of animal muscle cells grown in a culture in a lab, a technology similar to stem cells.

And while “synthetic steaks” are perhaps not a candidate for everyone’s favorite dish, they could someday compete with conventional chicken or beef, an affordable price tag permitting.

“Producing meat is very inefficient,” said Yaakov Nahmias, a bioengineering professor at Hebrew University and founder of Future Meat Technologies. Cultured meat, by comparison, consumes “10 times less water, less land, less energy than the current meat production.”

Advocates say lab-grown meat is flavorful and better for the environment than conventional meat. They say it consumes less water, energy and land, produces less greenhouse gases and reduces animal suffering.

Agriculture is estimated to generate around 13 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, with livestock alone responsible for two-thirds of those emissions, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.

For Israel, the advances are a far cry from the country’s early decades, when meat was rationed.

In fact, Israel is quickly becoming “the leader in the space, or (is) side-by-side with Silicon Valley” in cultured meat technologies, said Alex Shirazi, co-founder of the Cultured Meat and Future Food podcast and a founder of the Cultured Meat Symposium, an industry gathering in San Francisco in November.

Israel has a thriving high-tech scene, so the pursuit of lab-grown meat was a natural avenue for its entrepreneurs, experts say. The government’s Innovation Authority has also sought to stimulate food-technology companies through grants and the financing of a $25 million food-tech incubator.

Israel currently imports much of its meat and the government is invested in creating food security.

For observant Jews, several prominent Orthodox rabbis have already expressed approval for lab-grown meat being kosher. Because it doesn’t come from a slaughtered animal, some rabbis have even said cultured meat could be consumed as a cheeseburger — a combination of meat and milk otherwise forbidden in Jewish tradition.

In February, the Good Food Institute, a Washington-based non-profit promoting the development of meat alternatives, announced a series of research grants “for the benefit of the entire scientific community and good food industry.”

One of the six $250,000 grants for “clean meat” researchers went to Israel, and a second Israeli researcher received funds for “plant-based” meat alternatives.

“Israel is a fertile ground for tech in general and specifically for what we call alternative protein,” said Beni Nofech, a board member at the institute. “Israel is such an innovation-driven economy and infrastructure, both governmental and private, is already in place to actually catalyze innovation and research.”

The industry still faces some significant hurdles, including astronomical cost, developmental challenges, regulatory issues and questions about whether people are ready to eat lab-grown meat.

Until now, most companies involved in the effort have only managed to produce fleshy granules.

Future Meat Technologies, a company based out of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, and SuperMeat are among those combining animal cells and plant proteins as a potential alternative to processed meats.

Aleph Farms, an Israeli start-up launched in 2017, announced in December it succeeded in producing a lab-grown “minute steak” made from bovine cells that closely resembles the texture and flavor of its cow-borne counterpart.

For now, the tiny steaks are just 3 millimeters (a tenth of an inch) wide — roughly the size of a very thin strip of roast beef.

Each Israeli player has raised several million dollars in early investment, including from major food manufactures such as U.S. giant Tyson Foods, Germany’s PHW Group, and Israel’s Strauss Group.

The first lab-grown burger was made by a Dutch company in 2013 at a cost of over $300,000. Production costs have fallen in the years since. Last year, U.S.-based Memphis Meats’ ground beef alternative was reported to cost about $2,400 per pound. Each slice of Aleph Farms’ “steak” costs about $50 to produce.

Before it can hit the shelves, lab-grown meat will face regulatory obstacles. The U.S. government’s FDA and USDA announced in November they would “jointly oversee the production of cell-cultured food products derived from livestock and poultry.”

Cultured meat has already faced resistance from the U.S. meat industry and will probably face a label battle once it comes on the market.

Even if the industry can overcome these obstacles, the technology necessary to make these synthetic sirloins commercially viable remains years away.

Max Elder, a food researcher at the San Francisco-based Institute for the Future, says the biggest challenge may be convincing consumers to eat a steak essentially grown in a petri dish.

Nonetheless, researchers and environmentalists agree the need for sustainable, lab-grown alternatives to industrial farming is essential.

“If we want to make sure that our kids eat the same thing that we eat today, then we need to dramatically change the way we manufacture it,” said Nahmias, the Hebrew University professor.

Burger King to Start Selling Plant-Based Impossible Whopper

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:22:46 GMT

'Fake Meat' Company Gives Recall on Plant-Based Burgers

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 02:22:43 GMT

The company behind a “bleeding” plant-based burger has issued its first voluntary recall after plastic was found in some of its bulk product.

According to the website Eater , on March 22, ‘fake meat’ creator Impossible Foods issued a recall on its Impossible Burger product after a piece of plastic was found at a California restaurant. The recall was voluntary and not enforced by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Impossible Foods is asking retailers and restaurants to throw away bulk product produced on Feb. 19, 2019, bearing the lot number OAK19050000. The “ground beef” imitation, vegan product comes in 5 lb. pre-packaged blocks.

According to an Impossible Foods spokesperson, the company was “taking preventative measures to ensure the safety of our product and the operations of our food manufacturing plant.” Any distributor that purchased the tainted product will be compensated by Impossible Foods.

Found in approximately 4,800 restaurants in the U.S., Impossible Foods has continued to expand its footprint both internationally and domestically. Earlier this year, a move by Air New Zealand to serve Impossible Burgers on flights from New Zealand drew criticism from the acting Prime Minister . Next month, the Impossible Burger will be available in all 570 locations of Red Robin in the U.S.

The recall by Impossible Foods comes at a time when plant-based meat alternatives are being more regulated by individual states for labeling that uses meat terms like “steak, burger, sausage, etc.” It also follows a recent decision by USDA and FDA to jointly oversee regulatory oversight of another type of “fake meat” derived from animal cell-cultures.

Meatless Meat

Florida Successfully Defends Lab-Grown Meat Ban in Court

Pig Fat Cell Production Could Transform Lab-Grown Meat

Nebraska Legislators Speak Out Against Lab-Grown Meat

FDA Releases Draft Guidance for Labeling Plant-Based Animal-Derived Foods

Legislation Restricting Sales of Lab-Grown Meat Has Strong Bipartisan Support

Iowa Third State to Create Legislation Regarding Lab-Grown Meat

Plant-Based Meat Analogues Aren't Better for Your Heart, Study Says

FDA Approves Lab-Grown Chicken for the First Time

Hoxton Farms Raises $22 Million for Cultivated Animal Fat

Beyond Meat Faces Lawsuit Over False Protein Content and Quality Claims

Impossible Foods Cuts Faux Meat Prices By 20% At Grocery Stores

Related:

PepsiCo, Beyond Meat Partner to Develop New Plant-Based Snacks

Real MEAT Act 2019 Introduced

Consumers Prefer Real Beef Over Alternatives

Beyond Meat Posts Mixed Second Quarter Results

Beyond Meat ‘Tastes Like Overpriced Falafel'

Beef: ‘A Destructive And Unnecessary Technology’

Competition Grows for Alternative Meat

Short-Selling Beyond Meat Was a Bad Bet

Blended Burger Makes Debut

Burger King to Start Selling Plant-Based Impossible Whopper

NCBA Lays Out Principles for Regulating Fake Meat

NCBA’s regulatory principles are designed to effectively address both plant-based and lab-grown imitation beef products. Specifically, NCBA:

More Information

How Missouri Began To Tackle Fake Meat: Missouri Sen. Sandy Crawford

Japanese Wagyu Ranch Partners with Lab-Grown Meat Company

Israeli Startups Join Firms Making Lab-Grown 'Clean Meat'

Burger King to Start Selling Plant-Based Impossible Whopper

'Fake Meat' Company Gives Recall on Plant-Based Burgers