Whether you are vegan, vegetarian, recently watched game-changers plant-based, pescatarian, primal, paleo, meat-only, meat-less, keto or intermittent fasting the world of fake meats is now more than ever a successfully growing industry. The largest food chains in the world are now endorsing the plant-based alternatives to meat on their menus and it is creating a trend in the meat-less industry as to who can create the closest to meat meat-less product possible.

Beyond meat co. are a company from the United States who pride themselves on having the world's first burger that "looks, cooks and satisfies like beef without GMOs, soy, or gluten".

They are found in the meat aisle, so no smidgen of convenience is missed for you the buyer. 

Beyond burger patties (they also make a few other products which I will mention in a little bit) are kosher (meaning the way the food is made/prepared to satisfy the requirements of Jewish law) so they cater for a particular crowd and have 20g of protein per burger.

The protein in the beyond meat co. is burger is derived from that of pea and rice protein. The ingredients list is interesting, the first thing you can notice is that the burger is predominantly water-based, the second ingredient is pea protein and the third is canola oil. Of those three main ingredients, the level of oil is quite a concern as canola is the lowest of the low on the list of the ideal oil because of its high levels of trans-fats and it also brings up the total fat content to 18g per serve, this is almost on par with the burgers protein level itself making digestibility a slight issue as fats slow the digestive process down, making the meal feel heavier on the stomach.

Taste and cooking

The burger for taste test purposes was cooked in a pan, no oil was used as the burger itself has plenty. The smell of getting the burger out of the packet was a strange one. It was hard to describe but I can best put it down to a plastic smell, maybe due to the manufacturing process? The burger cooks and looks like a regular burger, and has a fluid that comes out in cooking that resembles blood (probably the pomegranate powder). The taste test came after the burger was cooked completely through (as suggested on the box), it wasn’t exactly what I expected and still had that plastic/artificial taste, was also quite greasy after the first few mouthfuls. 

When looking for a plant-based alternative to have as a protein substitute in a meal what should we look for? 

• a start would be at the actual protein content per 100g of the product itself. Most proteins (chicken, beef, fish) are of equal protein value at 100g, this is about 20g. Beyond meat, co have nailed this portion of the product, with exactly 20g in a single-serve. 

• But where they are off-track is having a nearly equal portion of fat in the product. The product includes the use of two oils, coconut and canola.

• As an alternative to the oils being included in such high quantities, the alternative binding agent used cannot be the typical egg which is used in many burgers as the binder, some alternatives that would be suitable for the crowd and also satisfy a lower fat content would be flax meal, bread crumbs or ground chia. 

Comparison 

Beyond meat co burgers retail at $10.60 for two burgers, in comparison to other vegan burgers, these are quite expensive. Not the most expensive but still on the pricier side.

The other competitors 

• Quorn do a vegan range of burgers with multiple flavours for $7.56 with a protein content of 20.5g per burger, and fat content of 13.3g.

• Unreal co do $5.60 for a 2 pack of Italian beef burgers with a protein content of 12.6g, and fat content of 12.3g.

• Veef Plant-Based Burger Patties are 2 for $6.50 at 15.9g protein and 20.9g fat per burger.

• Next Gen2 Plant-Based Burger retails at $8.00 for 2 patties and contains 14.9g protein and 19.2g fat per burger. 

• Harvest Gourmet Plant-Based Incredible Vegan Burger retails at a more expensive $12.00 for a 2 pack, 17g protein and 9g fat per burger. 

• Vegie Delights Not Burger at $4.50 for a 2 pack has 13.5g protein and 10.2g fat per burger.

• Unreal Co Chicken Sliders $7.00 per 2 pack, has 15.5g protein and 10g fat per burger. 

• Naturli 100% Plant-based Minced $9.00 18g protein and 10g fat. 

I thought I would throw in a comparison to a regular beef burger, Grasslands Beef Burgers which retail at 9$ for 4 beef patties and have 21.9g of protein and 7g of fat per serve (125g). The flavour of these are great, they taste like any good beef burger should, just the right amount of fat throughout the burger without leaving a greasy coating an aftertaste. 

Overall rating of Beyond meat co burger pattie 5/10. Good (enough) for what it is supposed to be but there are better, more flavoursome and nutritious burgers out there that don’t moo. 

If you’d like to learn more about plant based nutrition for your individual preferences and goals, contact us today.