Fake beef has become uncanny in the last few years, but all that spot-on imitation has amounted to little lasting consumer demand. In response to a continued slide in sales and bad marks from nutrition experts, imitation vegan beef maker Beyond Meat announced the launch of Beyond IV, a new recipe with touted health benefits over the current version.
Beyond IV, which rolls out to US retailers this spring, is the fourth iteration of Beyond’s faux beef. It will be made using avocado oil instead of pressed canola oil. The new recipe has 60% less saturated fat and 20% less sodium, according to a press release issued to CNET on Wednesday.
Beyond Beef’s launched a new recipe hoping to curry favor with nutrition experts and juice its lagging sales.
It also gets its 21 grams of protein per serving from more whole foods like peas, rice, lentils and faba beans. If those ingredients sound familiar, that’s because many of them can be found in traditional veggie burgers from brands like Morningstar Farms, Boca and Amy’s.
Beyond IV will be available as burger patties and packaged ground “meat.” Pricing was not immediately available.
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Most nutritionists and health experts sing the praises of a plant-based diet but imitation meat like Beyond Beef and its most direct rival, Impossible, have garnered criticism for being overly processed, sodium-heavy and light on nutritional value.
Fake beef hit hard and fast with the launch of the Impossible Burger in 2016. Beyond Meat followed soon after but consumer demand for the pricier vegan alternative to beef softened. The recipe shake-up from Beyond Meat comes in the wake of a 19% cut to its workforce this past November and a share price that has fallen to $7 from over $160 just three years ago.
