Haven’t followed this thread, but I assume this is relevant
Currently going for near $13 at my local Richies which works out to more the a $1 a ball, and seriously, they’re OK, a bit heavy on the spice, but they sell them O/S for a fraction of the price. Highway robbery, I mean they used to transport people to OZ for less. Which brings me back to my perennial complaint about lack of local competition for fake meat, one of the fastest growing markets around. Anyway…
PS I’ve one bag left in the freezer I picked up when they were on special for $9 but honestly it was still a rip off.
Yep, there’s a killing to be made, pun unintended, for someone to do it well and under the boutique bullshizen pricing here. Until then the Chinese grocer is your friend
1 Like
Or make it yourself of course
VERY BAD.
Tasted earthy.
Kinda like grassfed beef.
Cowin says cow out as Hungry Jack’s goes meat-free
Emma KoehnOctober 1, 2019 — 6.00pm
Fast food entrepreneur Jack Cowin says plant based meat products his company has been developing with an arm of the CSIRO could be available in retailers and Hungry Jack’s outlets as soon as next month.
Mr Cowin’s investment vehicle Competitive Foods and the CSIRO’s investment fund Main Sequence Ventures are among the financial backers of v2food, which is developing plant-based products made from legumes.
Meatless burgers represent a huge potential market for Hungry Jack’s, Jack Cowin says.Louie Douvis
“The last taste test I had, I thought they were tricking me. Over the decades I’ve eaten probably as many hamburgers as anyone has in this country. When you taste it [the product], people won’t be able to tell the difference,” Mr Cowin said.
Over the past eight months a team at V2food led by former PepsiCo and Masterfoods research director Nick Hazell has been working to develop the product as the startup races to get on the shelves in an increasingly crowded marketplace of meat-alternatives.
“It would normally be a two or three year development. We’ve driven CSIRO quite mad —we’ve pushed really, really hard,” Mr Hazell said.
V2food is about a month away from starting to roll out its products and plans to sell its mince to restaurants and traditional grocery retailers.
Nick Hazell of v2food, with investors Jack Cowin and Phil Morle. Dominic Lorrimer
Hungry Jack’s looks set to use the products in burgers, with Mr Cowin pointing to a younger generation of diners who are focused on the world’s climate and sustainable eating.
“If you talk to the average younger generation of Generation Z they have an extremely high level of interest in this. For them, it’s definitely an ethical interest,” he said.
The rise of plant-based meat alternatives is undeniable, and this means food retailers like Hungry Jack’s must cater to a growing cohort of diners who want plant-based options, he said.
“Not just as vegans, as the broader market of people who want to explore new things,” he said.
“This isn’t a novel idea — the awareness of what people put in their bodies and mouths is an interest that I think it increasing.”
V2food has pitched itself as a way for Australians to eat affordable meat alternatives, though it also has a broader reach in mind.
“We need to be able to export plant based meat into developing countries and [that] has got to be part of our vision,” Mr Hazell said.
Related Article
Meat-free’s multi-billion dollar opportunity
The company will join a new cohort of startups competing to overhaul Australians’ barbecue habits. New Zealand’s Sunfed Meats has already taken its “meat-free” meat alternatives to major supermarkets like Coles.
In the US, plant based meat company Beyond Meat has lisdted on the Nasdaq and is valued at $US9 billion ( $13.4 billion). Fellow Californian brand Impossible Foods has also recently started to sells its products US grocery stores.
This week McDonald’s Canada started selling a Beyond Meat “PLT” burger.
McDonald’s beefs up its menu by adding a vegan option, testing its “P.L.T.” - plant, lettuce, tomato sandwich - using patties from Beyond Meat in Ontario, Canada.
The Australian “alternative proteins” sector was worth $2.2 billion in 2018, according to the CSIRO.
Main Sequence Ventures partner Phil Morle said this was the ideal time to launch v2food.
“As an investor we’re always looking for when the timing is right, sometimes it’s all about the timing. And everything is coming together - there is a phenomenal market pull,” he said.
4 Likes
As I’ve said before, I’d eat them if they were good. Beef industry should be on notice. Would solve a big environmental issue on a number of fronts.
If you could quantify the area of land that would be saved by stopping eating meat, and perhaps the farmland that could be returned to native forest. I reckon that would be helpful in reducing meat consumption.
1 Like
For sure. Return our own grazing land to open woodland. Should also result in marginally better dispersed rainfall in theory not to mention ecological benefits.
1 Like
The Beyond Meat patty tastes just like meat. Every time I’ve had one I stop and do a double take as I think I’m eating meat and the kitchen has stuffed up. You can’t tell the difference in a burger. They’ve done such an impressive job.
4 Likes
I need to get my hands on one then. I tried something from the supermarket recently that my folks had bought. Didn’t mind it but it wasn’t a “beefy” flavour. Way better than the stuff I’ve had in the past though.
Where do you buy it?
Coles and the local Safeway stock trash.
1 Like
I’m willing to try this stuff.
Lord of the Fries does a Beyond Meat burger.
https://www.lordofthefries.com.au/menu/veggie-burgers/beyond-meat/
1 Like
I’ve had them when I’ve been overseas. Besides vegetarian and vegan places, they are finding their way on to “normal” menus. Had one at a Thank God It’s Friday at an airport.
Overall, vegetarian/vegan offerings are very much on the rise. For me, part of the fun of travelling now is researching the best vegetarian/vegan in a city.
1 Like
You should give it a try, em. Just to try it out and see.
2 Likes
Aha! Almost went to one recently. Will be going next time. Thanks Doe.
1 Like
I’m fairly sure Coles now stock Beyond Meat, it’s one of the big two. It’s pretty amazing stuff.
The thing I had was from Safeway. I don’t know what it’s called though. It was juicy like a burger but sort of tasted like it had most of the meaty flavour washed out. Perhaps more like pork mince on its own?
Just read thru the most recent posts in here.
I’m wondering why people want to try them ?
Is it simply curiousity, to see if it in fact tastes like meat ?
Is it ethical reasons ?
Surely not for health reasons, surely ?
1 Like