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posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:08PM   Printer-friendly
from the veggiesaurus dept.

McDonald's unveils McPlant line, which includes meatless patty co-created by Beyond Meat

McDonald's will test a meat-free burger in several markets next year as it adds plant-based menu offerings, which it has coined "McPlant."

International President Ian Borden said that McPlant was created "by McDonald's and for McDonald's." Borden said that the McPlant line could also include chicken substitutes.

McDonald's has not yet disclosed the supplier for the line. A company spokesperson declined to identify their supplier but said that McDonald's will not be manufacturing the products.

But a spokesperson for Beyond Meat said in a statement to CNBC that the company co-created the plant-based patty that will be available as part of the McPlant line. Shares of Beyond rose as much as 4% in afternoon trading after falling as much as 6% earlier on Monday. The stock, which was briefly halted for volatility in both morning and afternoon trading, is currently down less than 1%.

See also: Beyond Meat shares rise on news that it collaborated with McDonald's on the McPlant options
Beyond Meat earnings miss big on declining food service and consumer demand

Beyond Meat's partnership with McDonald's to develop the McPlant burger wasn't enough to keep shares from collapsing after the company posted third-quarter earnings that fell far below analysts' expectations.

The big miss sent shares tumbling nearly 29% in after markets closed Monday after reporting it generated $94.4 million in revenues and a loss of 28 cents per share versus the $132.8 million in revenue and 5 cents per share loss that analysts had expected.

Previously: Meatless "Beyond Burgers" Come to Fast Food Restaurants
Following IPO of Beyond Meat, Tyson Foods Plans Launch of its Own Meatless Products
Plant-Based "Impossible Burger" Coming to Every Burger King Location
Meat Industry PR Campaign Bashes Plant-Based Meat Alternatives
Bot Orders $18,752 of McSundaes Every 30 Minutes to Find If Machines are Working


Original Submission

Related Stories

Meatless "Beyond Burgers" Come to Fast Food Restaurants 58 comments

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984

Meatless 'Beyond Burgers' come to Carl's Jr. restaurants

The competition in lab-made veggie burgers is heating up. Beyond Meat has brought its burgers to more than 1,000 Carl's Jr. locations in the US, marking its Beyond's largest restaurant deal to date. Order a $6.29 Beyond Famous Star and you can eat a vegetarian (sorry vegans, there's American cheese) burg that tastes much like its conventional beef counterparts. You can also pay $2 to add a Beyond patty to other burgers on the menu. [...] You can already eat Impossible burgers of various sizes at White Castle, Hopdoddy, [and] Umami Burger

The veggie burgers won't be available at Hardee's (a nearly identical fast food chain operated by the same parent company). Sorry, "flexitarians".

Big Beef Prepares For Battle, As Interest Grows In Plant-Based And Lab-Grown Meats

The U.S. meat industry is gigantic, with roughly $200 billion a year in sales, and getting larger. But the industry faces emerging threats on two fronts: plant-based meat substitutes and actual meat grown in labs. Plant-based meat substitutes are a lot more, well, meaty than they used to be. They sear on the grill and even "bleed." They look, taste and feel in the mouth a lot like meat. Savannah Blevin, a server at Charlie Hooper's, an old-school bar and grill in Kansas City, Mo., says the vegetarian Impossible Burgers on the menu are popular with the meat-eating crowd. "I had a vegetarian actually turn it away, because it reminded them so much of meat, they sent it back," says Blevins. "It's delicious," she adds.

The industry that makes these products is taking off, growing 20 percent a year. "Business is booming," says Todd Boyman, co-founder of food company Hungry Planet. "We just can't keep up. We're actually having to expand our production facilities to keep up with the demand that's out there for this type of food."

[...] The meat industry is focused on shaping the regulatory environment for its new competitors, taking into account lessons learned from the rise of plant-based milks.

Previously: Would You Try Silicon Valley's Bloody Plant Burger(s)?
Impossible Foods Just Raised $75 Million for Its Plant-based Burgers
Inside the Strange Science of the Fake Meat that 'Bleeds'
FDA Approves Impossible Burger "Heme" Ingredient; Still Wants to Regulate "Cultured Meat"

Related: U.S. Cattlemen's Association Wants an Official Definition of "Meat"
Missouri Regulates Use of the Word "Meat" by Food Producers


Original Submission

Following IPO of Beyond Meat, Tyson Foods Plans Launch of its Own Meatless Products 39 comments

After exiting Beyond Meat, Tyson Foods will launch meatless products this summer

After exiting Beyond Meat, Tyson Foods said that it will roll out its own plant-based meat substitutes beginning this summer.

The Jimmy Dean owner sold its stake in Beyond before the company went public, citing its desire to produce vegetarian meat substitutes under its own umbrella of brands. CEO Noel White told analysts on the quarterly conference call Monday that the plant-based product will launch this summer on a limited basis, with a wider rollout in October and November.

[...] Beyond made the strongest market debut so far this year on Thursday, surging 163%. The stock has a market value of $3.97 billion, dwarfed by Tyson's own market value of $22.66 billion. Tyson shares gained more than 2% Monday.

Despite the difference in market value, Beyond and other makers of plant-based meat alternatives — such as Impossible Foods — pose a threat to Tyson. Beyond Meat's CEO, Ethan Brown, told CNBC that the company is trying to capture the meat industry's customers. Its gluten- and soy-free products are meant to more closely resemble and taste like meat than previous iterations of veggie burgers.

Also at CNN.

See also: Beyond Meat goes public with a bang: 5 things to know about the plant-based meat maker
Competitors Sink Their Teeth Into The Meatless-Meat Industry


Original Submission

Plant-Based "Impossible Burger" Coming to Every Burger King Location 40 comments

The Impossible Whopper is coming to every Burger King in America next week

Burger King will start selling its meatless Whopper across the United States on August 8, the biggest rollout for Impossible's plant-based product.

The burger chain has been selling the Impossible Whopper, featuring a meatless patty made by Impossible Foods, in a few markets in the United States since April. It first tested the product in St. Louis before announcing in May that it would offer the Impossible Whopper nationally this year.

Interest in plant-based protein has surged as many people try to reduce their meat intake for health or environmental reasons. US retail sales of plant-based foods have grown 11% in the past year, according to a July report from trade group Plant Based Foods Association and the Good Food Institute, a nonprofit that supports plant-based businesses.

Previously: Meatless "Beyond Burgers" Come to Fast Food Restaurants
Burger King Adds Impossible Vegan Burger To Menu

Related: Impossible Foods Just Raised $75 Million for Its Plant-based Burgers
Inside the Strange Science of the Fake Meat that 'Bleeds'
FDA Approves Impossible Burger "Heme" Ingredient; Still Wants to Regulate "Cultured Meat"
Following IPO of Beyond Meat, Tyson Foods Plans Launch of its Own Meatless Products


Original Submission

Meat Industry PR Campaign Bashes Plant-Based Meat Alternatives 58 comments

Plant-based burgers are "ultra-processed" like dog food, meat-backed ads say

A public-relations firm backed by meat producers has unleashed a savage marketing campaign that claims plant-based meat alternatives are unhealthy, "ultra-processed imitations" similar to dog food.

The campaign rolled out in recent weeks from the industry-funded firm Center for Consumer Freedom, according to The New York Times. So far, it has included full-page ads and opinion pieces in mainstream newspapers, including The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. All the marketing material raises health concerns about trendy meat alternatives, such as the Impossible Burger and Beyond Burger.

One ad posed the question "What's hiding in your plant-based meat?" Another directed readers to take the quiz "Veggie Burger or Dog Food?"

In an op-ed, the managing director of the Center for Consumer Freedom, Will Coggin, labeled meat alternatives as "ultra-processed" foods and noted that a recent study led by the researchers at the National Institutes of Health linked ultra-processed foods to weight gain.

The negative marketing campaign comes amid soaring popularity of meat alternatives, which threaten to slice into the meat market's sales and profits. In recent months, big players in the meat industry had tried a different—some might say hypocritical—tactic to compete with the new comers—that is, they released their own lines of meat alternatives. Now, the industry wants consumers to think such alternatives are unhealthy.

Older stories:


Original Submission

Bot Orders $18,752 of McSundaes Every 30 Minutes to Find If Machines are Working 34 comments

Bot orders $18,752 of McSundaes every 30 min. to find if machines are working:

Burgers, fries, and McNuggets are the staples of McDonald's fare. But the chain also offers soft-serve ice cream in most of its 38,000+ locations. Or at least, theoretically it does. In reality, the ice cream machines are infamously prone to breaking down, routinely disappointing anyone trying to satisfy their midnight McFlurry craving.

One enterprising software engineer, Rashiq Zahid, decided it's better to know if the ice cream machine is broken before you go. The solution? A bot to check ahead. Thus was born McBroken, which maps out all the McDonald's near you with a simple color-coded dot system: green if the ice cream machine is working and red if it's broken.

The bot basically works through McDonald's mobile app, which you can use to place an order at any McDonald's location. If you can add an ice cream order to your cart, the theory goes, the machine at that location is working. If you can't, it's not. So Zahid took that idea and scaled up.

[...] "I reverse-engineered McDonald's internal ordering API," he explained when he launched the tool, "and I'm currently placing an order worth $18,752 every minute at every McDonald's in the US to figure out which locations have a broken ice cream machine."

[...] The Verge interviewed Zahid about his project once his tweet announcing it took off.

NB: The bot does not actually place the order. It attempts to set up an order, and if it is allowed to add the item, it is assumed to be available. Taking note of that, it then exits out of the attempt. At no time is money exchanged. Also, he discovered that he had to back off to once every 30 minutes or it got blocked.


Original Submission

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  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:15PM (18 children)

    by JoeMerchant (3937) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:15PM (#1075845)

    Chicken Nuggets that contain unrecognizable chicken related products. Why not McPlant "burgers" with no meat?

    1991, my first trip from the South to California - was offered a "veggie burger" but declined, who would want a burger with veggies on it, I thought. I literally could not conceive of someone selling a "burger" where the patty was made of vegetables.

    --
    🌻🌻 [google.com]
    • (Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:25PM (3 children)

      by takyon (881) <{takyon} {at} {soylentnews.org}> on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:25PM (#1075850) Journal
      • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:35PM (2 children)

        by JoeMerchant (3937) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:35PM (#1075855)

        When the right to a dignified life extends beyond man and mammals, to the birds... Perdue and Tyson are going to owe quadrillions in damages and reparations.

        --
        🌻🌻 [google.com]
        • (Score: 3, Funny) by krishnoid on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:27PM

          by krishnoid (1156) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:27PM (#1075891)

          They can seize their accounts, but it's hard to collect from people into perpetuity after the cloned ancestors and their descendents [pbs.org] figure out what's up and exact revenge. They are rather clever girls, after all.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2020, @02:29AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2020, @02:29AM (#1076417)

          Don't worry - the animals will have their recognition in time: https://pbfcomics.com/comics/amends/ [pbfcomics.com]

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Thexalon on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:37PM (5 children)

      by Thexalon (636) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:37PM (#1075857)

      As someone who eats a mostly vegetarian diet: Non-meat burgers aren't my first choice, and the best ones don't try to taste like meat, but they're usually reasonably tasty.

      For example, black bean burgers are pretty easy to make from scratch if you like doing that (basic ingredients: The beans, an egg, and some bread crumbs to help it all hold together, plus whatever veggies and spices you want to add) and with the right sort of spices will taste a bit like chili or a burrito in burger form. If you're ever curious enough to try them, your grocery store or even Walmart probably has a variety of flavors in the frozen foods section for about $3-5 that are ridiculously simple to prepare (microwave them, or fry them up in a pan, or put them on the grill), and you'll also sometimes find them on the menu at bar-&-grilles.

      --
      The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
      • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:42PM

        by JoeMerchant (3937) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:42PM (#1075861)

        Oh, my horizons have expanded in the last 30 years. I can even imagine that some people willingly eat vegetarian now.

        Still can't imagine who would ever pass up a plate of beef brisket burnt ends.

        --
        🌻🌻 [google.com]
      • (Score: 2) by Subsentient on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:19PM

        by Subsentient (1111) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:19PM (#1075885) Homepage Journal

        I've been fully vegetarian since I was 17, I'm 25 now. They have a lot of good burger patties from Boca nowadays, and the prices are going down. I buy the spicy fake chicken patties and eat them like jumbo chicken nuggets. They're really good.

        --
        "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:23PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:23PM (#1075887)

        Black bean burgers are great! I like millet patties as well.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @02:04AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @02:04AM (#1075993)

        Every few years, I would try all of the veggie burgers in the local supermarket that attempt to mimic the taste of real meat. They were always awful, to the point that I usually spit out the first bite and threw the whole thing in the trash. But Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods genuinely cracked the code. I have a slight preference for the Impossible Foods beef substitute, but I can eat either one without any sense that I'm missing out by passing up real beef. Their fake meat tastes as good or better when compared to anything I've had at Five Guys, Steak'N'Shake and In'N'Out burger, plus most diners and family restaurants.

        So if you haven't tried them, then I suggest it. In addition to their burgers, I use the Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat ground beef substitutes in chili, pasta dishes, and tacos and find it every bit as good as the bison and organic ground beef from grass fed cattle that I get otherwise.

        On the other hand, the Beyond Meat chicken and sausage meat substitutes still, in my arrogant opinion, taste awful. And the Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods products are painfully expensive, averaging more than $8/pound most of the time. It's still only for wealthy people, I can get edible if not delicious ground beef for $3.50/pound.

      • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday November 11 2020, @05:30PM

        by Freeman (732) on Wednesday November 11 2020, @05:30PM (#1076204) Journal

        The Black Bean burger at "Mooyah!" is very tasty, my wife says their meat is good too. Their Milkshakes do something bad to my gut, maybe too much fat in them or a slight sensitivity to dairy. The real reason I stopped going, it a bit expensive for a burger and they stopped carrying their pre-mixed lemonade-tea. Doing your own Lemonade+Tea from the drink station, just isn't the same.

        Super good Mooyah! burger: (Though a bit messy.)
        Ice Burger (Lettuce Wrapped, instead of Bread)
        Black Bean Burger
        Cheddar Cheese
        Avocado
        Cholula
        Grilled Onions
        Mayonnaise
        Tomatoes

        --
        Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:45PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:45PM (#1075864)

      I really wish instead of vegie burger monstrosities, they just popularized portabella sandwiches. Not really pretending to be a "Burger" but be its own thing. Instead we get foodite horrors. What is foodite? Glad you asked, I made this term up years ago when I stopped eating processed food. Here is how I view this type of thing:

      1) find the lowest quality and cheapest protein source that:
      a) legally qualifies as food.
      b) legally qualifies to be called whatever you want the end product to be.

      2) Add as much filler as you can and still have the end product:
      a) legally qualify as food.
      b) legally qualify to be called whatever you want the end product to be.

      3) now you add some or all of the following to fix the terrible taste:
      a) Salt, everything needs more salt
      b) Sugar, it is addictive and HFCS can be added to anything.
      c) Fat of some sort
      d) MSG
      e) some flavoring

      4) Now it is time to add some coloring and binders to fix up color and texture.

      5) Slap that slop in a mold and wait for it to set.

      MMMMMHHHH... Foodite. Served fresh* at McDonalds.

      * Foodite is always fresh, bacteria probably won't eat and if they do we can add preservatives too.

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by corey on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:55PM (3 children)

      by corey (2202) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:55PM (#1075877)
      Yeah. Created by McDonald’s, for McDonald’s. That’s code speak for, plastic garbage “food” mass produced at minimal cost with plenty of salt and sugar to satisfy the masses that line up wanting to eat this crap when there are better alternatives that require some decision making and thought about what they’re fueling their bodies with. I’m all for going part veggo (aka Flexitarian) but McDonald’s could come out with a burger made with fairy dust and unicorn bone meal with magical side effects and I still wouldn’t buy it.
      • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Subsentient on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:26PM (1 child)

        by Subsentient (1111) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:26PM (#1075889) Homepage Journal

        unicorn bone meal

        Wow, I love that. I'm stealing it. It has been assimilated into my consciousness. Resistance is futile.

        --
        "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @08:35PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @08:35PM (#1076303)

          the fuck is this Insightful? Funny maybe

      • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:32PM

        by JoeMerchant (3937) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:32PM (#1075896)

        plenty of salt and sugar

        Don't forget low cost fats.

        --
        🌻🌻 [google.com]
    • (Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Tuesday November 10 2020, @10:24PM (2 children)

      by fustakrakich (6150) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday November 10 2020, @10:24PM (#1075918) Journal

      I don't want meatless meat. I want cultured (lab grown) meat. Something that is meat

      --
      La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
      • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday November 10 2020, @10:38PM (1 child)

        by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @10:38PM (#1075919)

        I want that too. It could also be better for the environment, if it is done right.

        • (Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday November 11 2020, @02:47AM

          by JoeMerchant (3937) on Wednesday November 11 2020, @02:47AM (#1076010)

          I want that done right - we're decades away.

          It will probably be a merger between factory farms and lab grown tech that eventually gets it right.

          --
          🌻🌻 [google.com]
  • (Score: 2) by looorg on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:32PM

    by looorg (578) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:32PM (#1075853)

    Will be interesting to see if it will sell or not. I guess they dont have to put up the billions served sign just yet.

  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:41PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:41PM (#1075860)
  • (Score: 4, Funny) by Gaaark on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:46PM (2 children)

    by Gaaark (41) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:46PM (#1075865) Journal

    That's the best name the marketing team could come up with? Why not McFacePlant?

    --
    --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
    • (Score: 2) by krishnoid on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:36PM (1 child)

      by krishnoid (1156) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:36PM (#1075902)

      They're saving that for if/when nobody buys it.

      • (Score: 4, Funny) by kazzie on Wednesday November 11 2020, @05:57AM

        by kazzie (5309) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday November 11 2020, @05:57AM (#1076073)

        You mean they're saving face?

  • (Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:51PM (4 children)

    by SomeGuy (5632) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:51PM (#1075871)

    I suppose to serve vegetarians is one thing (To Serve Vegetarians? Its a Cookbook!), but as McDonalds leads the race to the bottom, I fully expect what will happen is they refine the process until it is cheaper than meat and then drop meat/allegedly meat products.

    Fuck McDonald's hamburgers anyway. Dollar Tree has these nice little microwavable QuickBite burgers that are just as good, if not better, quicker to nuke than waiting in line, and safer since you don't have to wait around in a filthy McGrease pit.

    • (Score: 2) by epitaxial on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:54PM

      by epitaxial (3165) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @08:54PM (#1075876)

      You buy hamburgers from a dollar store?

    • (Score: 2) by Subsentient on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:32PM

      by Subsentient (1111) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:32PM (#1075895) Homepage Journal

      Those Dollar Tree burgers probably contain more meat from Ukrainian children than from cows.

      --
      "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by krishnoid on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:34PM

      by krishnoid (1156) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:34PM (#1075901)

      McDonald's food isn't great, but it seems like they provide a real service for the poor [financialpost.com] even in a polite socialist hellhole like Canada.

    • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Wednesday November 11 2020, @11:36AM

      by FatPhil (863) <{pc-soylent} {at} {asdf.fi}> on Wednesday November 11 2020, @11:36AM (#1076108) Homepage
      > To Serve Vegetarians? Its a Cookbook!

      And the "vegetables are what food eats" saying maintains its truthiness.
      --
      Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
  • (Score: 2) by Subsentient on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:29PM (2 children)

    by Subsentient (1111) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:29PM (#1075893) Homepage Journal

    McDonald's food is disgusting, and knowing them, they still put pig fat in the buns for these new "vegetarian" burgers. Don't be fooled.
    I've often joked that the only vegetarian thing on McDonald's menu was their soda.

    --
    "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
    • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday November 11 2020, @08:31PM (1 child)

      by tangomargarine (667) on Wednesday November 11 2020, @08:31PM (#1076299)

      Don't give them ideas--just wait until next year when scientists figure out that chemically-treated bison urine is cheaper than corn syrup with only 90% of the flavor!

      --
      "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2020, @02:16PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2020, @02:16PM (#1076575)

        Well, at least it's probably healthier.

  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:33PM (9 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:33PM (#1075897) Journal

    Borden said that the McPlant line could also include chicken substitutes.

    I've always regarded chicken as a meat substitute. Back when Catholic friends couldn't eat meat on - uhhh - Fridays wasn't it? we would have fish or chicken or something instead. When the grocery funds ran low, buy chicken instead of meat. Or, if a doctor, girlfriend, or someone was harping that you should "eat healthier", somehow chicken qualified as "healthier".

    So a chicken substitute would more properly be a meat substitute substitute? Faux meat substitute? Placebo meat substitute? This could get complicated . . .

    --
    “I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz
    • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:42PM (3 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:42PM (#1075906)

      Thanks for a nice non-political example of how dumb you are.

      • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday November 11 2020, @12:51AM (2 children)

        by Phoenix666 (552) on Wednesday November 11 2020, @12:51AM (#1075964) Journal

        Thanks for a nice non-political example of how dumb you are.

        --
        Washington DC delenda est.
        • (Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @02:37AM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @02:37AM (#1076006)

          Thanks for a nice non-political example of how dumb you are.

          • (Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @02:54AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @02:54AM (#1076015)

            Thank me for a nice example of how dumb I am.

    • (Score: 2) by arslan on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:58PM

      by arslan (3462) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:58PM (#1075909)

      The calories on some of these are way up there as well - at least the ones that are offered in my neck of the woods. So if your health management involves managing total calories, a simple grilled chicken burger would have much less calorie or if you want to keep to the beef burger, maybe skipping out on the cheese and sauces instead.

      Of course there's other aspects of not eating meat outside of managing calorie that are important to some folks.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @03:45AM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @03:45AM (#1076024)

      Does it taste like chicken?

      • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday November 11 2020, @04:07AM

        by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday November 11 2020, @04:07AM (#1076027) Journal

        If you drown it in rapeseed oil at 400 F for 30 minutes, EVERYTHING tastes like chicken! Your old Ford Fiesta will taste like chicken when properly cooked.

        --
        “I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz
    • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday November 11 2020, @08:29PM (1 child)

      by tangomargarine (667) on Wednesday November 11 2020, @08:29PM (#1076296)

      Back when Catholic friends couldn't eat meat on - uhhh - Fridays wasn't it? we would have fish or chicken or something instead. When the grocery funds ran low, buy chicken instead of meat.

      I've never understood this thing where people classify "fish" separately from "meat". They're both the muscles of dead animals, aren't they?

      --
      "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
      • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday November 11 2020, @09:09PM

        by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday November 11 2020, @09:09PM (#1076323) Journal

        Yeah, I guess so. But it has it's roots in Judaism. There were all sorts of foods that were "clean" or "unclean". And, of course, you couldn't contaminate a "clean" food, even with another "clean" food. Gotta keep the dairy separate from the meat, meat separate from grains, etc. You can only eat certain foods in the same meal with certain other foods. It was a maze of ritualism, learned from birth and enforced throughout childhood.

        1) For on all other nights we eat either leavened or unleavened bread; why on this night only unleavened bread?
        2) On all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs; why on this night only bitter herbs?
        3) On all other nights we need not dip our herbs even once; why on this night must we dip them twice?
        4) On all other nights we eat either sitting up or reclining; why on this night do we all recline?

        --
        “I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz
  • (Score: 3, Funny) by srobert on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:58PM (1 child)

    by srobert (4803) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @09:58PM (#1075910)

    Will it duplicate the same lack of quality that McDonald's customers have come to expect from their usual offerings?

    • (Score: 2) by NateMich on Tuesday November 10 2020, @10:43PM

      by NateMich (6662) on Tuesday November 10 2020, @10:43PM (#1075921)

      Will it duplicate the same lack of quality that McDonald's customers have come to expect from their usual offerings?

      Since it won't sell all that fast compared to the regular burgers, you can guarantee you'll get the full "been sitting in the warmer too long" experience.

  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2020, @10:14PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 10 2020, @10:14PM (#1075917)

    I used to enjoy going to McDonalds. But then they blared in their ads about going 365Black -- black all 365 days of the year. Not being black, I couldn't go anymore. Except on Leap Day, every four years, but I usually forget.

    At least I don't have to worry about falling into one of their ball pits. Bad way to die.

  • (Score: 2) by istartedi on Wednesday November 11 2020, @12:09AM (1 child)

    by istartedi (123) on Wednesday November 11 2020, @12:09AM (#1075949) Journal

    Make like a tree and stay off my burger.

    --
    Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2020, @04:28AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 12 2020, @04:28AM (#1076447)

      McFly

      The summary says plant-based, not insect-based ;-)

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @12:38AM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @12:38AM (#1075959)

    I want a veggie burger. The ones Morningstar Farms makes are perfect. They also have a black bean salsa one that's good too. I don't understand the obsession with wannabe meat. If I want beef, I'll order beef. A lot of times I want veggie. It's not any healthier (the beef burgers might even be the healthier choice but it's a burger, who fscking cares), I just like the texture and how it tastes. Also grilled portobello burgers with swiss are so good. Why waste time with corporate frankenfoods when there are already so many good burgers that don't involve meat?

    I remember one place that was on campus a long time ago. I'd spend $5 and get a grilled veggie burger, a lot like the ones you can get at Burger King, along with a side of curly fries. Not sure if those are made by Morningstar but very similar. I loved getting raspberry iced tea to drink.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @02:09AM (4 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @02:09AM (#1075995)

      wannabe meats are transition foods - foods for people that want to give up meat for ethical or environmental reasons but love the taste. The problem is that most wannabe meats taste awful. The Beyond Meat chicken and sausage products still taste awful.

      But they did figure out wannabe ground beef, to the point that our family has switched almost entirely. I made chili a few hours ago with the Impossible Foods ground beef substitute, and it tastes as good as when I used to make chili with bison or organic ground beef.

      I like black bean burgers, but I get tired of them in a hurry.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @05:02PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @05:02PM (#1076193)

        Ground turkey is great in chili, but "turkey bacon" is awful.

      • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday November 11 2020, @08:27PM (2 children)

        by tangomargarine (667) on Wednesday November 11 2020, @08:27PM (#1076292)

        wannabe meats are transition foods - foods for people that want to give up meat for ethical or environmental reasons but love the taste.

        Came here to say this. Once they get done pumping it full of salt and additives and whatnot, they've mostly erased the health benefits.

        One difference is the amount of sodium in a traditional beef burger versus an Impossible Burger. Beef contains very little sodium, unless added independently when cooking, whereas Impossible Burgers contain 370 milligrams or 16 percent of the daily value.

        The “not natural nutrients” McNeill referenced is the genetically modified heme iron that Impossible Burger adds to their product to create that juicy red color and beefy taste.

        Heme is a high-quality iron that is naturally present in all beef. Impossible Foods was able to re-create that essential nutrient by taking the DNA from soybean plants, where heme is found in the root nodules, and inserting it into a genetically engineered yeast, according to its website.

        The Food and Drug Administration approved the genetically modified heme as “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, in July 2018.

        Beyond Meat does not include heme iron in its burger and instead, relies on plant-based iron. Heme iron is more absorbable to the body than plant-based iron, but a company spokesperson says Vitamin C is added to increase that absorbability.

        https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2019/10/25/burger-kings-impossible-burger-veggie-whopper-healthy/4070993002/ [usatoday.com]

        --
        "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @11:31PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @11:31PM (#1076371)

          Beef contains very little sodium, unless added independently when cooking

          Comparing beef to an impossible burger is a bit ingenuous, most hamburger recipes add a lot of salt to the meat. For instance this is one of the top google hits (the only one I checked) it adds 1.5 tablespoons of seasoned salt to 1.5 lbs of ground beef, and comes out at 1533mg sodium per patty: https://www.thewholesomedish.com/the-best-classic-burger/ [thewholesomedish.com]

          • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Thursday November 12 2020, @09:54AM

            by tangomargarine (667) on Thursday November 12 2020, @09:54AM (#1076508)

            Presumably you mean disingenuous?

            Definition of ingenuous (Entry 1 of 2)
            1a: showing innocent or childlike simplicity and candidness
            her ingenuous thirst for experience
            — Christopher Rawson
            b: lacking craft or subtlety
            ingenuous in their brutality
            2obsolete : NOBLE, HONORABLE

            --

            For instance this is one of the top google hits (the only one I checked) it adds 1.5 tablespoons of seasoned salt to 1.5 lbs of ground beef

            No, it's 1.5 teaspoons. Tbsp is 3x the size of a tsp, dude.

            So it comes out to 1920 mg of sodium per 1.5 lbs of meat, for 480 mg per patty.

            --
            "Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
  • (Score: 4, Informative) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday November 11 2020, @01:03AM

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Wednesday November 11 2020, @01:03AM (#1075968) Journal

    McDonald's has been suffering flat sales in recent years for a few reasons. One is that some customers have been looking for healthier alternatives. Another is brand dilution, which has crept in through breakfast burritos and salads. Also, chains like Shake Shack and Five Guys have been eating into McDonald's core brand identity. Introducing veggie burgers with Impossible Burgers and now McPlant is an attempt to shake up the market and win back customers who have been defecting for healthier alternatives.

    It's a gimmick, though, and only exacerbates losses because of brand dilution and competition from "real" burger chains while not bringing back health minded consumers.

    So it doesn't really matter what the plant-based burgers taste like. Truth be told, the plant-based varieties in all their different forms taste fine, if different. Brand identities and customer expectations don't always map to actual dining experience the way we think they do.

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.
  • (Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday November 11 2020, @10:29AM (2 children)

    by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Wednesday November 11 2020, @10:29AM (#1076103) Journal

    I like veggie burgers that advertise themselves as such well enough, but still haven't tried these supposed perfect meat replacements. Maybe I will at some point. But if you're going to be vegetarian why not go the whole hog (pardon the mixed metaphor!) and, you know, eat things that are very clearly vegetarian foods and proud of it? Learning some Indian cooking is really helpful. I'm am omnivore but could plausibly go vegetarian with enough recipe wrangling.

    --
    I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
    • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @12:50PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 11 2020, @12:50PM (#1076112)

      Up until recently all of the meat-replacement vegetarian foods tasted awful. I'm trying to transition the family to eating as little meat as possible, and they fight me when I simply don't buy any. The Beyond Meat beef substitute and the Impossible Foods beef substitutes are the best tasting beef replacements I've ever had, better than anything except top tier real beef. My wife and kids don't complain when I cook those. I made chili with Impossible Foods beef substitute yesterday, I made tacos with Beyond Meat beef substitute last week, and I have a stack of burgers of both types in the freezer that I'll be grilling soon.

      I think true vegetarian foods that don't even pretend to be meat-like are the goal, but this kind of product is useful for the transition process.

      Beyond Meat also makes chicken and sausage substitutes, but I think those taste as horrific as any meat substitute from ten years ago. Beef is the only thing they got right so far. And unfortunately, both product families are expensive - more costly than organic grass fed ground beef. I'm hoping as production ramps up that the prices come down, you're never going to switch most omnivores that pay half as much for adequate real meat and 20% less for equally tasty real meat.

    • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday November 11 2020, @05:35PM

      by Freeman (732) on Wednesday November 11 2020, @05:35PM (#1076205) Journal

      The vegetarian burger at Burger King isn't awful. It just tastes like fast food. Not sure, if they overcooked the patty or what. Still, I'm much more of a Black Bean Burger kind of guy, than any "fake meat" burger. I really like some Kroger brand vegetarian breakfast patties, though.

      --
      Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
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