Ethan Brown
‘Meat’ of the Matter How one company is flipping the script on where a burger should come from BY SARA SCHWARTZ
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hen Ethan Brown was young, his family bought a dairy farm in rural Maryland, spurring a life-long interest in animal welfare. And while his career in the energy sector had him working on hydrogen fuel cells — aligning with his concern for the environment — one question nagged: Does the protein at the center of our plate have to come from an animal? Propelled by that, he created Beyond Meat in 2009, to create plant-based products that replicated meat and to address four key issues: human health, climate, natural resources and animal welfare. “If you can basically create a piece of meat without using an animal, you can solve four problems at once,
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and that was too enticing to turn down,” he says. While the company sells frozen Beyond Beef Crumble (made with pea protein using no genetically modified organisms, or GMOS), frozen Beyond Chicken Strips (made with non-GMO soy and pea protein) and frozen Beast Burgers and Beastly Sliders (made with non-GMO pea protein), it took a big step when it debuted the Beyond Burger. The non-frozen, plant-based burger patties are made to resemble, cook and taste like a beef burger, and in a coup for the company, are sold in select Whole Foods Market meat cases. “We have more urgency than ever because we finally got to the big stage,” Brown says. “Let’s make sure we get a new product in there next year that’s even better, and let’s
THE BEYOND BURGER
is available at select Whole Foods Markets. To find a location near you, go to beyondmeat. com/storelocator.
change the case from being a meat case to being a protein case — that’s a big goal for us.” The Beyond Burger has 20 grams of plant protein, no GMOs, soy or gluten, and is antibiotic- and hormone-free. And in a bid to mimic the taste and texture of real beef, the burger sizzles and appetizing juices seep out — made from beets, of course. As far as taste, it comes fairly close to a beef patty. (We recommend grilling it and adding all the fixings.) Each Beyond Burger has 290 calories, 22 grams of fat and 450 milligrams of sodium. In comparison, a 1/4 pound ground chuck 80 percent lean, 20 percent fat beef patty has only a few more calories and less sodium. Still, it’s a good step if you’re looking to reduce your meat consumption or stop eating it completely. “We need to figure out how to take the animal out of this process or we’re not going to have a climate left,” Brown says.
BEYOND MEAT
U P F R ONT | FO OD + D RINK