For a while now, meat alternatives such as Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat have received a lot of press and taken the plant-based industry by storm. Many fast food companies are trying to stay ahead of the game by adding these new items onto their menu, while others refuse to entertain the idea. However, the notoriously outspoken CEO for Impossible Foods does not believe every plant-based meat alternative is created equal.
It is not uncommon for a CEO to call out their competitors to try and put their products ahead their competitors. However, it is uncommon for a CEO to call out other companies and encourage them to step up the quality of their products. Impossible Foods’ CEO Pat Brown wished other companies would either make a better product, or get out completely.
“Some of these products are awful,” Brown told Business Insider. If customers group Impossible Foods’ products with competitors’ plant-based offerings, Brown says, it “reinforces this idea that these products suck.”
Not only do some plant-based alternatives “suck” in taste, their nutritional value and ingredients are also in question, especially when compared with real meat. For example Jack Dewitt explains why the Impossible Burger’s “blood” is raising eyebrows. “Leghemoglobin in a burger is contentious for a couple of reasons. Leghemoglobin has never been consumed by humans before, and Impossible Foods did very little safety testing before including it in their burger. The FDA advised Impossible Foods that they have not proven the safety of leghemoglobin, but the FDA has not prohibited the company from marketing their burger.”
In addition to calling out his competitors, Brown also has strong feelings against the meat industry. He does not hide the fact that he is trying to eradicate the industry. In an interview with CBS he says it point blank.
“CBS: So do you think you’re going to be putting the conventional meat business out of business?
Brown: That’s the whole purpose of Impossible food.
CBS: You want them gone?
Brown: The purpose of Impossible foods is … this industry and this technology is the greatest threat to the future of our planet. Period.”
For someone with so many opinions and so much to say about the meat industry, maybe he should listen to a farmer or rancher for once.
