Thread

Where's the Beef?: The lab-grown-meat revolution that wasn't

75 points · 166 comments · Hooke

truekonrads · 1790245908 · focus · HN ↗
Why eat meat at all is the big question? Impossible and Beyond satisfy the taste and craving without the nastiness.
1. cpursley · 1790246070 · focus · HN ↗
  What about the health nastiness that comes along with ultra processed food? Why not just go full blown veggie or vegan? Theres some amazing recipes out there that are healthy as well.
  1. tokai · 1790251618 · focus · HN ↗
    [dead]
    cpursley · 1790258113 · focus · HN ↗
    Yes, I want to murder all the little animals because I enjoy a real burger or vegetation Indian meal over highly processed fake meat...
2. torben-friis · 1790246079 · focus · HN ↗
  They really don't.
  Like, they're close enough for a vegetarian/vegan to get something that reminds them of the taste, but for a frequent meat eater it's not even close sadly. I keep trying from time to time.
  As for why, it's much easier to replace the product than it is to replace the need.
3. nkrisc · 1790246101 · focus · HN ↗
  Those are pretty good in their own right, but they really aren’t much like meat in my opinion. They’re similar, but they are quite obviously not meat within the first few bites.
4. stephbook · 1790246227 · focus · HN ↗
  Costs more, tastes worse and is ultra-processed.
5. Emma_Goldman · 1790246535 · focus · HN ↗
  Interesting, the question for me is why eat ultra-processed meat simulacra, that don't taste particularly nice, like impossible and beyond burgers? It is possible to home cook far healthier and more delicious veggie burgers with seitan, mushrooms, lentils, etcetera. Ultimately, this whole meat substitute market is targeting a niche that doesn't exist at anything like the scale envisioned, because it competes with low cost meat on the one hand and low cost plant-based burgers on the other, and is worse than both on all relevant metrics.
  1. thriving_earthw · 1790295078 · focus · HN ↗
    What metrics?
    <a href="https://nutritionfacts.org/blog/how-healthy-are-the-impossible-burger-and-beyond-meat-vs-beef/" rel="nofollow">https://nutritionfacts.org/blog/how-healthy-are-the-impossib...
    This comparison seems to suggest they are very similar. The fact that impossible burgers are vastly less resource intensive to produce and don't involve killing an animal for no good reason is an incredible deal.
6. Kurtz79 · 1790246815 · focus · HN ↗
  I never understood exactly who is the target audience.
  If I were a vegan/vegetarian for ethical or religious reasons I don’t think I would want food that reminds me of meat.
  As an occasional meat eater that also enjoys the many natural options for plant-based protein, why would I want something that replicates taste/texture of something I can already eat?
  1. tomtomtom777 · 1790247470 · focus · HN ↗
    I am a meat lover that understands that eating real meat is way too large a drain on our planet's resources.
    To me, the progress vegan meat has made is an absolute godsend.
    I used to eagerly anticipate the lab-grown meat revolution, but with the quality of current vegan alternatives, it just seems no longer necessary.
  2. truekonrads · 1790247870 · focus · HN ↗
    Vegetarian for 10+ years. Love the odd impossible burger, otherwise I don’t miss meat or fish at all - the thought doesn’t enter my mind
  3. tmvphil · 1790272393 · focus · HN ↗
    As someone ethically against the Mafia killing people, why would I want to watch a TV show that reminds me of the Mafia killing people?
7. my-next-account · 1790247266 · focus · HN ↗
  These statements remind me of fitness influencer's showcasing their healthy brownies which "totally taste like the real thing".
8. CupricTea · 1790271315 · focus · HN ↗
  [dead]
9. mminer237 · 1790319250 · focus · HN ↗
  They don't taste the same, they're much more expensive, and I worry what sort of negative health effects all the ingredients may have.
10. preisschild · 1790324268 · focus · HN ↗
  > satisfy the taste and craving without the nastiness
  I have tried, but I disagree with that assessment. It just tastes like peas for me.

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