tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/veggie-burgers-64673/articlesVeggie burgers – The Conversation2020-11-02T14:54:35Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1492082020-11-02T14:54:35Z2020-11-02T14:54:35ZPlant-based foods: businesses alone shouldn’t decide what we call a veggie burger<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366962/original/file-20201102-19-osqza9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C218%2C5615%2C3514&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/little-girl-eating-healthy-baked-sweet-794244808">Nina Firsova/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>What’s in a name? For billionaire investors in plant-based food products, potentially a lot of money. They would have cheered the loudest when the European Parliament voted in October 2020 to allow companies to label vegan alternatives with terms typically associated with animal meat, like “burger” and “sausage”.</p>
<p>Animal campaigners were less pleased that the parliament rejected traditional dairy labels for lab-created alternatives, accusing MEPs of contradicting themselves. <a href="https://www.theparliamentmagazine.eu/news/article/a-burger-by-any-other-name">The Euro Group for Animals</a> argued that terms like “milk” and “cheese” have always been used more widely than in strict reference to dairy products – just look at coconut milk. Even the word “meat” has a secondary meaning of “solid food as distinguished from drink,” though that usage is archaic.</p>
<p>From the parliament’s perspective, the decision was the logical extension of existing EU policy which has blocked companies from using terms like “almond milk” and “vegan cheese”, and long before that even protected particular cheese names, such as Gorgonzola and Normandy Camembert, from other genuine dairy rivals elsewhere.</p>
<p>Farmers complain wealthy investors in fake meat and dairy products are destroying traditional ways of farming and their livelihoods along with it. But this time the real battleground between the two factions is elsewhere: over the meaning of words themselves.</p>
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<img alt="Protesting farmers dump milk powder from a platform outside the EU Parliament." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366968/original/file-20201102-21-1ehv2lf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366968/original/file-20201102-21-1ehv2lf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366968/original/file-20201102-21-1ehv2lf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366968/original/file-20201102-21-1ehv2lf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366968/original/file-20201102-21-1ehv2lf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366968/original/file-20201102-21-1ehv2lf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366968/original/file-20201102-21-1ehv2lf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Many European farmers support a ban on naming plant-based foods after animal products.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/members-european-milk-board-coat-eu-1051346402">Alexandros Michailidis/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<h2>‘Linguistic gymnastics’</h2>
<p>Wordplay is inseparable from cheese-making, as Miyoko Schinner, an American vegan chef, found when she was banned from selling a vegan “cheese” made of cashews. The state of California ruled that the term was misleading and so she switched to calling it a cultured nut product – but sales declined. Her company tried other phrases, calling one product Aged English Sharp Farmhouse, for example, in an effort to circumvent the ban.</p>
<p>The linguistic issue is complicated by the deliberate strategy of Beyond Meat and other plant-based food companies to try and make their products look and taste like meat. Here, the name of the product becomes absolutely vital. The average consumer goes by the headline, not the small print. It’s only strict vegans who are likely to examine labels in minute detail to be sure there are no traces of animal products in their food. It’s bizarre that food companies seem so happy to blur the distinctions for those who actually want traditional animal-sourced products.</p>
<p>Surveys have found widespread confusion regarding the ingredients and purported benefits of plant-based fake meat products. In <a href="https://www.drovers.com/article/consumers-confused-about-contents-fake-meat">one online poll</a> of more than 1,800 consumers, nearly two-thirds believed fake meat products contained real beef or some form of animal byproduct. Still, if people are confused in the supermarket aisles – they don’t seem to realise it. Less than 4% of people in the UK have <a href="https://plantbasednews.org/culture/house-of-lords-changing-vegan-burgers-disks-undermine-public-health/">reported accidentally buying</a> vegetarian products.</p>
<p>Consumers are influenced by names, packaging and product placement. In the US, plant-based milks only really took off after they were kept on shelves near their dairy counterparts. Nowadays, alternative milks make up around <a href="https://www.figlobal.com/content/dam/Informa/figlobal/fieurope/en/2020/documents/HLN20FIE-GM-Plant-based-ingredients-are-here-to-stay.pdf">a sixth of the market</a>.</p>
<p>Michele Simon, executive director of the Plant Based Foods Association, defends new industries using old food terms by <a href="https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/consumer/you-call-that-a-burger-a-food-fight-over-names">arguing that</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>There are just limited words in the English language to convey a concept that the consumer already understands. If you want to convey something tastes like bacon, what do you do? Do you say it’s salty and fatty and, wink wink, pig-like? The point is that we should not have to engage in linguistic gymnastics.</p>
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<p>There are several problems with this sort of claim though. The first is that the new foods have very different nutritional profiles to the old ones, and the second is that, even if they share some characteristics, they generally taste quite different. So given all that, why not create new words? Why the emphasis on mimicking old products?</p>
<p>The food innovators argue that there is a natural and organic flexibility in language, and that terms like “burger” as in “veggie burger” or “sausage” as in “vegetarian sausages”, have evolved – and so should the words “milk” and “cheese”.
English is rife with examples of semantic change. The word “toilet” originally meant a piece of cloth, the word “sanction” only acquired its negative sense recently as it moved from being a verb meaning “to allow” or “ratify” to a kind of punishment. </p>
<p>There’s really no linguistic argument to prevent plant-based foods redefining the terms. But there is, surely, a consumer interest in clarity and the avoidance of ambiguity. There’s still something sneaky about “substitute foods”, particularly when the product switch may be hidden within a larger and more complicated dish.</p>
<p>The ability to decide what we call things illustrates how our thoughts and attitudes are shaped by powerful players in society, including multinational food companies, without us even realising it. There’s a worthy argument for protecting consumers from businesses twisting terms to create markets for their products. Language, and decisions about it, should belong to everyone, not just an elite.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/149208/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Martin Cohen is the author of a recent book on food policy, 'I Think Therefore I Eat' (Turner 2019) for which he receives royalties.</span></em></p>Who gets to decide what we call the things we eat? Increasingly, wealthy plant-based food moguls.Martin Cohen, Visiting Research Fellow in Philosophy, University of HertfordshireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1185132019-06-13T21:30:52Z2019-06-13T21:30:52ZThe future of meat is shifting to plant-based products<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/279194/original/file-20190612-32351-fcpada.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5615%2C3732&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Demand is hot for plant-based food options like the lentil-based veggie burger seen here. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>With summer just around the corner, it’s not just the weather heating up in Canada. The plant-based foods sector is also starting to sizzle.</p>
<p>Consumers are increasingly following the advice of the new <a href="https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/">Canada Food Guide</a>, which highlights the nutritional benefits of protein sources like nuts, beans, legumes, pulses and tofu in place of meat, eggs, fish and dairy products. And these eating habits are expected to stick, with a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jun/12/most-meat-in-2040-will-not-come-from-slaughtered-animals-report">recent report</a> anticipating that up to 60 per cent of “meat” may come from non-animal sources by the year 2040.</p>
<p>Consistent with these shifts in consumer preferences, plant-based meat company <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/beyond-meat-investor-talks-first-earnings-report-134043282.html">Beyond Meat recently saw its stock price surge almost 40 per cent</a>, after its first performance report as a publicly traded company revealed far better-than-expected sales. </p>
<p>This is the same company that also enjoyed <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/beyond-meat-stock-price-up-475-since-pricing-ipo-2019-6-1028266607">one of the hottest initial public offerings of the year</a>, rising more than 150 per cent on its first day of trading earlier this year. Overall, the stock’s price is up about 400 per cent since its debut.</p>
<h2>Restaurants, grocers offer plant-based foods</h2>
<p>Adapting to shifting consumer preferences, several Canadian restaurant chains have introduced plant-based items to their traditionally meat-laden menus. When A&W Canada launched the Beyond Meat Burger last fall, <a href="https://business.financialpost.com/news/retail-marketing/canadian-burger-chain-sells-out-of-plant-based-patties">restaurants across the country sold out within days</a> and took months to restock sufficient supplies to ensure a smooth relaunch. </p>
<p>Tim Hortons now sells <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/investment-ideas/article-beyond-meat-surges-after-tim-hortons-launches-vegan-sandwiches/">vegan breakfast sausages</a>, <a href="https://www.franchiseinfo.ca/news/quesada-boosts-vegan-options-with-partnership/">Quesada introduced tacos made with veggie meat</a> and <a href="https://www.straight.com/food/1233331/beyond-meat-expands-availability-beyond-burger-vancouver-and-across-canadian">Earl’s has launched its own Beyond Burger</a> as well as a new vegan menu.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/279192/original/file-20190612-32335-1e7od0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/279192/original/file-20190612-32335-1e7od0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/279192/original/file-20190612-32335-1e7od0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279192/original/file-20190612-32335-1e7od0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279192/original/file-20190612-32335-1e7od0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279192/original/file-20190612-32335-1e7od0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279192/original/file-20190612-32335-1e7od0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279192/original/file-20190612-32335-1e7od0p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Canadian grocery stores are now stocking Beyond Meat, and some are developing their own in-house options.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>Canadian grocery stores are also catering to consumers’ predilection for plant-based meats. Last month, mainstream supermarkets across the country <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/5197322/beyond-meat-canada-grocery-stores/">began carrying the Beyond Burger</a>, with some opting to place the product not in the health food aisles but instead in the butcher section alongside steaks and ribs. </p>
<p>And some retailers have additionally developed their own in-house varieties of plant-based foods, <a href="https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/presidents-choice-launches-plant-based-canada-may-2019">including the President’s Choice selection of veggie burgers, chicken-less fingers and beef-free crumble.</a> Furthermore, shoppers now face an embarrassment of riches in the dairy section, with anyone seeking to avoid cow’s milk enjoying a choice of beverages made from soy, almond, coconut and oat.</p>
<p>These developments are indicative of a sea change in the market for vegan foods, with demand coming not just from vegetarians. Meat eaters, too, are drawn by the lower health risks associated with non-animal sourced proteins, a desire to reduce the environmental impact of their food choices and concerns about animal welfare.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/meat-consumption-is-changing-but-its-not-because-of-vegans-112332">Meat consumption is changing but it's not because of vegans</a>
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<h2>A backlash</h2>
<p>But some industry groups are attempting to push back against the plant-based food movement. In January, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/small-business/marketing/article-vegan-food-producer-ordered-to-drop-the-word-cheese-from-its/">received a complaint</a> about non-dairy products “being labelled as ‘cheese’ when they are allegedly not.” </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/279193/original/file-20190612-32342-1w1jk73.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/279193/original/file-20190612-32342-1w1jk73.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279193/original/file-20190612-32342-1w1jk73.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279193/original/file-20190612-32342-1w1jk73.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279193/original/file-20190612-32342-1w1jk73.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279193/original/file-20190612-32342-1w1jk73.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/279193/original/file-20190612-32342-1w1jk73.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A cheese by any other name would taste as cheesy? Tofu feta is on the offer in this photo.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>Likewise, the Quebec Cattle Producers Federation recently <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/plant-based-meat-burger-ads-trigger-complaint-from-quebec-cattle-producers-1.4424050">expressed concern</a> that calling veggie burgers “plant-based meat” is misleading to consumers, noting that the regulatory definition of meat is “the carcass of a food animal, the blood of a food animal, or a product or by-product of its carcass.” Yum? </p>
<p>But <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/janetforgrieve/2019/04/25/consumers-show-they-know-almond-milk-doesnt-come-from-cows/#1831fe344068">studies support the view</a> that consumers are not the least bit confused by the use of monikers such as “milk” or “meat” in reference to plant-based foods. This makes sense, given the products’ labels tend to feature prominent information about their origins. And so prudent producers and retailers are preparing for the future by catering to consumer preferences for these foods rather than fixating on the past. </p>
<p>An important lesson emerges from another industry that faced a major shift in consumer demand. When digital photography was emerging as a new technology, a then-leader of the photography sector, Kodak, faced a difficult choice. </p>
<p>The company could cannibalize its own camera film sales to become an early leader in the digital space, which would be painful but potentially lucrative. Or it could try to postpone the inevitable and cling to a fading technology. <a href="https://petapixel.com/2018/10/19/why-kodak-died-and-fujifilm-thrived-a-tale-of-two-film-companies/">Kodak chose the latter path, and the competition ate their lunch. </a></p>
<p>Now tech companies like Panasonic, Sony and Samsung stand alongside Canon and Nikon to dominate the world of digital photography, leaving Kodak a mere shadow of its former self. </p>
<p>Forward-looking meat-producing companies must reframe their thinking to recognize that they are in the protein production business. With many consumers avoiding animal-sourced protein, the opportunity emerges to shift focus to developing and producing alternate types of food.</p>
<h2>Adapting to the future</h2>
<p>The federal government stands ready to facilitate such changes, recently introducing more than $150 million in funding for the <a href="https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/093.nsf/eng/00012.html">Proteins Industry Canada “supercluster,”</a> aiming to encourage farmers and entrepreneurs in the Prairies to use new technology to increase the value of Canadian crops such as canola, wheat and pulses. </p>
<p>Another reason such a shift makes sense is the fact that raising animals as food is expensive. To produce a pound of animal-based protein requires many more pounds of crops and litres of water than are needed to produce a pound of plant-based protein. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-true-cost-of-cattle-is-much-much-higher-than-you-imagine-29491">The true cost of cattle is much, much higher than you imagine</a>
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<p>With a surge in demand for commodities like peas, which are a key ingredient in products like the Beyond Burger, savvy Canadian farmers and producers are pivoting to adapt. Industry giant Maple Leaf Foods, for one, recently announced an <a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/maple-leaf-advances-leadership-in-rapidly-growing-plant-based-protein-market-with-construction-of-a-world-class-production-facility-808903323.html">investment of US$310 million</a> to expand their plant-based offerings. </p>
<p>With all of these changes, investors in companies that are in the business of producing plant-based food stand to be winners, as does anyone who aims to enjoy the taste and texture of meat without the downsides of conventional meat.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118513/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa Kramer receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p>Plant-based proteins are in hot demand. That’s why Canadian grocery stores and restaurant chains are racing to give consumers what they want.Lisa Kramer, Professor of Finance, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1150272019-04-09T10:43:38Z2019-04-09T10:43:38ZWhat makes the Impossible Burger look and taste like real beef?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/268165/original/file-20190408-2931-1m2kokj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">An Impossible Burger sidewalk sign in San Francisco. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/san-francisco-ca-september-1-2018-1327684253?src=xad8GhiHEd1NEe_a-3MK0Q-1-0">Chris Allan/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>People eat animals that eat plants. If we just eliminate that middle step and eat plants directly, we would diminish our carbon footprint, decrease agricultural land usage, eliminate health risks associated with red meat and alleviate ethical concerns over animal welfare. For many of us, the major hurdle to executing this plan is that meat tastes good. Really good. By contrast, a veggie burger tastes like, well, a veggie burger. It does not satisfy the craving because it does not look, smell or taste like beef. It does not bleed like beef.</p>
<p><a href="https://impossiblefoods.com">Impossible Foods</a>, a California-based company, seeks to change this by adding a plant product to their veggie burger with properties people normally associate with animals and give it the desired qualities of beef. The <a href="https://medium.com/impossible-foods/the-mission-that-motivates-us-d4d7de61665">Impossible Burger has been sold in local restaurants since 2016</a> and is now expanding its market nationwide by teaming up with Burger King to create the <a href="https://impossiblefoods.com/burgerking/">Impossible Whopper</a>. The Impossible Whopper is currently being test marketed in St. Louis, with plans to expand nationally if things go well there. </p>
<p>But what exactly is being added to this veggie burger? Does it make the burger less vegan? Is the additive from a GMO? Does it prevent the burger from being labeled organic? </p>
<p>I am a molecular biologist and biochemist interested in understanding how plants and bacteria interact with each other and with the environment, and how that relates to human health. This knowledge has been applied in a way that I did not anticipate to develop the Impossible Burger. </p>
<h2>What on earth is leghemoglobin?</h2>
<p>The Impossible Burger includes an ingredient from soybeans called leghemoglobin, which is a protein that is chemically bound to a non-protein molecule called heme that gives leghemoglobin <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC177968/">its blood red color</a>. In fact, a heme – an iron-containing molecule – is what gives blood and red meat their color. Leghemoglobin is evolutionarily related to animal myoglobin found in muscle and hemoglobin in blood, and serves to regulate oxygen supply to cells. </p>
<p>Heme gives the Impossible Burger the appearance, cooking aroma and taste of beef. I recruited a scientific colleague in St. Louis to try out the Impossible Whopper, and he could not distinguish it from its meaty counterpart. Although he was quick to qualify this by noting all of the other stuff on the Whopper may mask any differences.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/268224/original/file-20190408-2901-1xkdicv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/268224/original/file-20190408-2901-1xkdicv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/268224/original/file-20190408-2901-1xkdicv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/268224/original/file-20190408-2901-1xkdicv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/268224/original/file-20190408-2901-1xkdicv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/268224/original/file-20190408-2901-1xkdicv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/268224/original/file-20190408-2901-1xkdicv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/268224/original/file-20190408-2901-1xkdicv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=521&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A cross section of a soybean root nodule. The red color is due to leghemoglobin.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.microscopemaster.com/rhizobium.html#gallery[pageGallery]/0/">CSIRO</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<p>So, why aren’t soybean plants red? Leghemoglobin is found in many legumes, hence its name, and is highly abundant within specialized structures on the roots called nodules. If you cut open a nodule with your thumbnail, you will see that it is <a href="https://www.agronomy.org/science-news/fixing-soybeans-need-nitrogen">very red due to leghemoglobin</a>. The soybean nodule forms as a response to its interaction with the symbiotic bacterium <em>Bradyrhizobium japonicum</em>. </p>
<p>I suspect that Impossible Foods depicts a soybean without nodules on their <a href="https://impossiblefoods.com/heme">website</a> because people tend to be creeped out by bacteria even though <em>Bradyrhizobium</em> is beneficial.</p>
<p><a href="https://medicine.buffalo.edu/faculty/profile.html?ubit=mrobrian">My research group’s</a> interest in the symbiotic relationship between the soybean and its bacterial sidekick <em>Bradyrhizobium japonicum</em> is motivated by the goal of reducing humanity’s carbon footprint, but not by creating palatable veggie burgers. </p>
<p>The bacteria within root nodules take nitrogen from the air and convert it to a nutrient form that the plant can use for growth and sustenance – a process called nitrogen fixation. The symbiosis lessens the reliance on chemical nitrogen fertilizers, which consume a lot of fossil fuel energy to manufacture, and which also pollute the water supply. </p>
<p>Some research groups are interested in extending the symbiosis <a href="https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01055-16">by genetically engineering crops such as corn and wheat</a> so that they can reap the benefits of nitrogen fixation, which only some plants, including legumes, can do now. </p>
<p>I am pleasantly surprised and a little amused that esoteric terms of my vocation such as heme and leghemoglobin have found their way into the public lexicon and on the wrapper of a fast-food sandwich.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/268177/original/file-20190408-2905-1exxbes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/268177/original/file-20190408-2905-1exxbes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/268177/original/file-20190408-2905-1exxbes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/268177/original/file-20190408-2905-1exxbes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/268177/original/file-20190408-2905-1exxbes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/268177/original/file-20190408-2905-1exxbes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/268177/original/file-20190408-2905-1exxbes.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Root nodules occur on the roots of legumes associated with symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Within legume nodules, nitrogen gas in the air is converted into ammonia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/nodules-soybean-346114349?src=MiMFs-Cw09sJ7EU3JaG86Q-1-7">Kelly Marken/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<h2>Is leghemoglobin vegan? A non-GMO? Organic?</h2>
<p>Leghemoglobin is the ingredient that defines the Impossible Burger, but it is also the additive most closely scrutinized by those seeking assurances of it being organic, non-GMO or vegan. </p>
<p>The leghemoglobin used in the burgers comes from a genetically engineered yeast that harbors the DNA instructions from the soybean plant to manufacture the protein. Adding the soybean gene into the yeast then makes it a GMO. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration agrees with the “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) <a href="https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/NoticeInventory/UCM620362.pdf">designation of soybean leghemoglobin</a>. Nevertheless, the <a href="https://www.ams.usda.gov/publications/content/can-gmos-be-used-organic-products">U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits the “organic” label</a> for foods derived from genetically modified organisms. It is ironic that an innovation that may be eco-friendly and sustainable must be readily dismissed by groups that claim to share those goals.</p>
<p>Not all vegans are delighted by this new burger. Some insist that a GMO product cannot be vegan for various reasons, including <a href="https://www.nongmoproject.org/blog/tag/vegan/">animal testing of products such as leghemoglobin</a>. In my view, the moral certitude of that position can be challenged because it does not take into account the cattle that are spared. Other vegans view <a href="http://www.vegangmo.com/vegan-gmo-mission">GMOs as a solution to problems</a> that are important to them. </p>
<p>Judging from its website, <a href="https://impossiblefoods.com/heme">Impossible Foods</a> is keenly aware of the constituencies that weigh in on their product. It includes a link describing how <a href="https://medium.com/impossible-foods/how-gmos-can-save-civilization-and-probably-already-have-6e6366cb893">GMOs are saving civilization</a>. But they also make the misleading claim that “Here at Impossible Foods, heme is made directly from plants.” In reality, it comes directly from yeast.</p>
<p>The commercialization of leghemoglobin represents an unanticipated consequence of inquiry into an interesting biological phenomenon. The benefits of scientific research are often unforeseen at the time of their discovery. Whether or not the Impossible Burger venture succeeds on a large scale remains to be seen, but surely food technology will continue to evolve to accommodate human needs as it has since the advent of agriculture 10,000 years ago.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/115027/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark R. O'Brian receives funding from the National Institutes of Health</span></em></p>The Impossible Burger contains an ingredient made by genetically modified yeast. So is this new veggie burger organic? Vegan? A GM product?Mark R. O'Brian, Professor and Chair of Biochemistry, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at BuffaloLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1095422019-01-10T22:34:07Z2019-01-10T22:34:07ZHow restaurants are wooing ‘flexitarians’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252888/original/file-20190108-32124-fipkjm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Flexitarians are those who still eat meat, but only on a part-time basis. Restaurants and fast-food chains have them top of mind, with A&W's version of a veggie burger, like those seen above, a huge hit among customers.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Restaurants are struggling to respond to consumers who are rapidly shifting away from animal protein. </p>
<p>According to a recent study by Dalhousie University, <a href="https://www.dal.ca/faculty/management/news-events/news/2018/10/30/release__new_dalhousie_study_finds_that_6_4_million_canadians_limit_the_amount_of_meat_they_eat__and_number_will_likely_grow.html">nearly one in five Canadians</a> have decided to either reduce the amount of meat they consume or have outright eliminated it from their diets. </p>
<p>Add the fact that 63 per cent of the estimated 6.4 million Canadians who purposely restrict the amount of animal protein they consume are aged 38 or under, it’s clear that the economic influence of the anti-meat movement can only increase. That’s a scary thought for steakhouses out there.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252872/original/file-20190108-32154-liw2vi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/252872/original/file-20190108-32154-liw2vi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252872/original/file-20190108-32154-liw2vi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252872/original/file-20190108-32154-liw2vi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252872/original/file-20190108-32154-liw2vi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252872/original/file-20190108-32154-liw2vi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/252872/original/file-20190108-32154-liw2vi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">As Canadians are eating less meat, restaurants are wooing what are known as flexitarians, those who haven’t totally given up meat but are trying to eat much less. A&W has had big success with its Beyond Meat Burger, made with peas, beets and coconut.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>But the food service industry is showing it can adapt and be successful in an environment where demand for animal protein is becoming more fragmented. </p>
<p>In fast food, <a href="https://www.vancourier.com/living/everyone-is-loving-the-new-plant-based-beyond-meat-burger-at-a-w-except-vegans-1.23363882">A&W’s “Beyond Meat Burger”</a> is a good example. The item <a href="https://www.plantbasednews.org/post/a-w-canada-confirms-plant-based-beyond-burger-restock-date">sold out a month after its release</a> at some locations and was reportedly selling better at many outlets than the chain’s iconic Teen Burger. </p>
<p>Its success is due to the principle of normalizing the offer. The “Beyond Meat Burger” was just part of the regular menu, and tasted almost the same as other top sellers at the restaurant.</p>
<h2>No all-beef patties, but special sauce!</h2>
<p>Even McDonald’s is adjusting. Anyone can now order a meatless Big Mac. In some outlets I’ve visited, they even had a picture of the product: It’s a bun, lettuce, tomato, sauce and that’s it. No patty. </p>
<p>That’s stunning when you think of how McDonald’s had positioned itself for decades as the premiere ambassador of the Canadian beef industry.</p>
<p>In fine dining, more restaurants are adding vegetarian and vegan options to their menus. Some cities like Toronto <a href="https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2018/03/vegans-have-their-own-neighbourhood-toronto-now/">now have neighbourhoods</a> with clusters of vegan restaurants and shops. <a href="http://vegfoodfest.com/">Fairs, festivals</a> — hardly a week goes by without hearing about some event where a meatless world is showcased. Little more than 20 years ago, veganism was almost frowned upon. Today, it is often celebrated.</p>
<p>And given that 20 per cent of Canadians are reducing the amount of meat in their diets, odds are that at least one person in every social group or family is a vegan or vegetarian. </p>
<p>Menus are much more inclusive now, since most dietary preferences tend to coexist. </p>
<h2>‘Flexitarians’ on the rise</h2>
<p>Which brings us to the concept of “flexitarianism,” or consumers who have consciously decided to reduce their meat consumption, but only on a part-time basis. </p>
<p>More than 3.5 million Canadians consider themselves flexitarians, according to the Dalhousie findings, or what some may call conscious carnivores.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/love-meat-too-much-to-be-vegetarian-go-flexitarian-73741">Love meat too much to be vegetarian? Go 'flexitarian'</a>
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<p>That group, most of them Baby Boomers, are really the bridge between the mass food market and the devoted meatless crowd. And so flexitarians are the ones being targeted by the food service industry.</p>
<p>People become flexitarian for a variety of reasons. Usually it is out of concern for the environmental footprint of the livestock industry, animal welfare or one’s own health. Or perhaps flexitarians want to save a few dollars by opting for a cheaper protein alternative than meat.</p>
<p>It’s not surprising to see many Boomers becoming flexitarians. Some may even argue that flexitarian Boomers are acting out of guilt regarding their lifelong meat-eating habits.</p>
<p>Generational pressures are also real. Many flexitarians likely have children who are vegans or vegetarians, or may have friends who are not eating meat. </p>
<p>The same Dalhousie University survey suggests that most consumers with no particular dietary preferences are satisfied with options offered by restaurants. Vegetarians also seem pleased, as do flexitarians, given the flexible nature of their diet. </p>
<h2>Vegans want full-on vegan restaurants</h2>
<p>For restaurants, serving flexitarians is obviously less onerous because their dietary preferences give both the industry and consumers more leeway. That’s the market A&W’s “Beyond Meat Burger” seems to be aiming for, so we shouldn’t be surprised to see an increasing number of meat-free options in the future. This is only the beginning.</p>
<p>Vegans are a different story. The vegan diet is more restrictive, which makes it more difficult for retailers to manage expectations. Vegans appear to visit mostly vegan restaurants and may not venture beyond food service establishments that are not utterly committed to the strict lifestyle that is veganism.</p>
<p>For vegans, a visit anywhere else frequently ends in disappointment. </p>
<p>But the number of vegan restaurants is also increasing in order to serve a growing number of consumers looking for a true vegan fix. That group includes vegans, of course, but also vegetarians and, you guessed it, flexitarians. </p>
<p>In food services, the business case to sell more vegetable proteins is very strong. Lentils, chickpeas and pulses in general are much less expensive than beef, pork or chicken, at least for now. It will be interesting to see how things unfold for the meat industry.</p>
<p>But despite all this, the future remains bright for beef, pork and chicken producers given almost 83 per cent of Canadians are still unconditionally committed to meat consumption, according to the Dalhousie study. The meat industry will just need to learn that their products, as protein sources, must co-exist with a much larger range of alternative sources of protein.</p>
<p>Any advertising campaign suggesting Canadians should eat more meat just won’t cut it anymore, no pun intended. There must be a different spin and a different approach, and the food service industry appears to be catching on.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/109542/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sylvain Charlebois does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Almost one in five Canadians are going meatless or eating far less meat. But most establishments aren’t actually targeting vegetarians or vegans; they’re chasing “flexitarians.” Here’s why.Sylvain Charlebois, Professor in Food Distribution and Policy, Dalhousie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.