Vegan lifestyle articles that discuss ways of living in peace with humans, animals, and the environment.
Ethan Brown of Impossible Foods says Impossible Bacon is in the works, if not yet on the grill. So, impossible as it sounds, we'll be able to have life without bacon, with bacon.... Alternative meats are not going away in spite of misleading meat industry advertising.
Burger King's Impossible Whopper
"Two Impossible Whoppers with cheese, please. No onions on one."
"OK. You want bacon?"
Back to bacon.
Apparently, despite my best efforts in a
previous
column to argue otherwise, it is impossible to live life without bacon
in America. Even when you order a burger intentionally produced without
meat, meat is offered as a topping. You're confusing me, Burger King.
My partner and I became fans of the Impossible Whopper at first bite. It's
tasty, juicy, filling and satisfies an occasional craving in a diet that
does not include beef. Or bacon.
The bacon option was not the only surprise at the drive-up window. Burger
King is now offering two Impossible Whoppers for six dollars, the same as
its regular Whopper special offering. Our two with cheese came to eight
dollars. A good deal. But, really, doesn't the bacon option kind of miss the
point of the Impossible?
Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, creators of plant-based alternatives to
meat and chicken, have sparked a surprising mini-revolution in the way at
least some Americans eat. Plant-based diets in general are becoming more
popular daily, While vegetarians and vegans may not be rushing to try the
new non-meat burgers, those who would like to eat a little less meat because
it's healthier for them and also because it would help slow global warming
are welcoming this focus on eating more plants.
Beef producers are not. They've gone to court to sue over the use of the
word "burger" for plant-based, uh, burgers and an ad that ran in the
Washington, D.C., area during the Super Bowl warned viewers that the
Impossible Whopper contained an ingredient contained in laxatives. Subtle.
It does. But both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European
Union say the ingredient, methylcellulose, is safe for human consumption and
has no known negative side effects. And the amount contained in both the
Impossible and Beyond burgers is below the amount contained in a tablespoon
of laxative.
But expect the misleading major-media and social-media campaigns to
continue, with so much money at stake and so many consumers these days
willing to accept at face value any official-sounding statement that
reinforces their prejudices. The real fake news.
It turns out the company that placed the Super Bowl ad, the Center for
Consumer Freedom, is notorious for defending wealthy clients (including a
wide swath of food-industry clients) against competitors or critics it
routinely portrays as phony do-gooders out to deprive people of the right to
make their own choices. It describes itself as "a nonprofit organization
devoted to promoting personal responsibility and protecting consumer
choices".
"We believe that the consumer is King And Queen," its website preaches as it
lobbies against what it calls phony health claims and holds up extreme
groups like PETA as representative of the campaign for giving consumers more
healthful, plant-based choices. It has argued that the cause of so much
overweight in America is not overeating, but lack of exercise. Again, it
represents a wide range of food producers.
I am not a shill for any company. I didn't tell that guy who asked me, "You
don't eat bacon?" that he should maybe at least follow his doctor's
suggestion to eat a little less of it for his heart's and his children's
sake. I am increasingly concerned, however, that too many Americans are
reluctant to try something that might be good for their well-being because
it means doing without something they enjoy that may not be so good.
Besides, they'll argue, "Those fake meats aren't really more healthful
anyway. They've got nasty stuff in them." Or, "They said they're vegan, but
they're not." Or, "So what if I like bacon? It's delicious."
Yes it is. In fact, forget beef. Pork is the most widely consumed meat
worldwide, according to Pat Brown, CEO of Impossible Foods. He ought to
know. While doing battle with the beef industry in the United States and
Canada, Brown says his company is about to launch the Impossible Sausage.
Beyond Meat has had a Beyond Sausage breakfast sandwich for enjoyment at
Dunkin' Donuts for months, but Brown says his company wanted to make sure it
got its recipe the way it wanted before releasing it for public consumption.
In addition to Burger King, White Castle was one of the first to offer a
plant-based option, with Impossible Sliders. McDonald's is testing Beyond
Burgers in Canada, KFC is testing Beyond Fried Chicken, and Starbucks
recently said it plans to introduce plant-based breakfast items. So the
alternative meats are not going away, misleading advertising or not.
But the best news - soon, we might be able to say yes when asked if we want bacon on our Impossible Whoppers. Brown says Impossible Bacon is in the works, if not yet on the grill. So, impossible as it sounds, we'll be able to have life without bacon, with bacon.
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