The World Of Tzu Chi December 2019 (Vol.117)

06 2019 • 12 eature I n recent years, Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods made waves on the vegan food scene by introducing burger patties created fromplant- based ingredients such as bean proteins, potato starch and coconut oil. Both companies were founded as California-based start-ups, attracting the interest of investors the likes of Bill Gates and Google Ventures between them. The brands have since developed a range of vegan meat substitutes with a texture and consistency that closely resembles that of real meat products, besides claiming that the production process of their burger patties generates less greenhouse gas emissions, consumes less energy and water and uses less land as compared to traditional beef patties, significantly reducing their environmental impact. An increasing number of consumers are opting for vegan meat alternatives, driven by environmental and ethical concerns as well as the perception that plant-based proteins are healthier than conventional meat products. The burgeoning popularity of vegan burgers is reflected in the latest findings by American market research company NPD Group, which revealed that non-vegans consumed 216 million plant-based burgers this year, accounting for 95 percent of total burger orders across the US. Even fast food chains are hopping on the vegan bandwagon, with industry giants KFC and Burger King substituting the customary meat patties in some of their burgers for plant-based ones; the former partnered with Beyond Meat on vegan fried chicken and nuggets in one of its US outlets to enthusiastic response, selling out in five hours, while the latter traded the beef patty of its signature Whopper burger for Impossible Foods’ plant-based version and launched the ImpossibleWhopper across its US franchises. Food companies and laboratories are also racing to cater to the vegan palate by developing synthetic meat products, most notably cultured or lab-grown meat. The advent of veganism