Plant-based Beyond Burger comes to Carl's Jr. restaurants

[Shawn Knight]

The big picture: Meat-free burgers are said to look, cook and satisfy like beef but without the harmful effects associated with animal-based meat products. The true test for most, however, will be in the category of taste.

Plant-based burger maker Beyond Meat has partnered with Carl’s Jr. to bring its animal-free creation to more than 1,000 fast food locations across the country.

The quarter-pound Beyond Burger patty is the featured attraction of the Beyond Famous Star, a plant-based version of Carl’s Jr.’s most iconic burger. It’s cooked top-to-bottom using an open flame in the restaurant’s char broiler, a technique that Carl’s Jr. says helps lock the flavor in.

The standard-issue Beyond Famous Star comes with American cheese, tomato, lettuce, sliced onions, dill pickles, mayonnaise and special sauce on a sesame seed bun. If you want a true plant-based option, order it without cheese and mayo.

The partnership makes Beyond Burger far more accessible. Up to this point, perhaps the easiest way to secure a meat-free burger was to pick some up at Whole Foods or try one from rival Impossible Foods. Those burgers, which the FDA said was safe to eat last summer, can be found at select Fatburger, Hopdoddy, Umami Burger, The Counter and White Castle restaurants across the US.

Why opt for a meatless burger? According to Beyond Meat, plant-based meat is better for human health, positively impacts climate change, addresses global resource constraints and improves animal welfare.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/78095-plant-based-beyond-burger-comes-carl-jr-restaurants.html

 

[m4a4]

I've tried it in a restaurant as a burger with fries. Regrettably it also had vegan cheese (which didn't help).

The burger by itself tastes great (decent texture, flavor, and juiciness), but it wouldn't replace a good beef and bacon burger (or homemade beef burger) for me. It's different in a good way.

 

[ShagnWagn]

I have always thought it odd for vegans to make their plant replacements look like meat products. That must be confusing.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

If SCIENCE could figure out a way to make a burger out of vegetables - and cause negative calorie intake...meaning you expend more energy eating than you take in from the food...

...that would simply change the game.

Fake-Beef Lasagna?

Fake- Burgers?

Fake- Taco meat?

Fake Meatballs...

We'd lose like 30 pounds.

 

[Wilfred]

I have always thought it odd for vegans to make their plant replacements look like meat products. That must be confusing.

It's not for vegans…we don't miss the dead flavor! I'ts for those who cannot give up animal products!

I have always thought it odd for vegans to make their plant replacements look like meat products. That must be confusing.

It's for people who cannot give up animal products!
Vegans do not miss the dead burger flavor!

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

I have always thought it odd for vegans to make their plant replacements look like meat products. That must be confusing.

It's not for vegans…we don't miss the dead flavor! I'ts for those who cannot give up animal products!

I have always thought it odd for vegans to make their plant replacements look like meat products. That must be confusing.

It's for people who cannot give up animal products!
Vegans do not miss the dead burger flavor!

Dead burgers? I've never had 'live' burger. if these plant burgers aren't dead, does that mean they're un-dead?

Seriously though...
I think this fake meat is a great idea. Is it better for the animals? I don't know... is it better to not be born than to be killed early if you're a cow or pig? That's a different topic. It's definitely better for the environment if we had fewer pork and beef farms.
Better for us? Probably... red meat isn't exactly good for you. But humans evolved eating animal protein and I don't think we should cut it all out of our diet. (can we keep chicken maybe?)

Once we all decide it tastes good, how will we convince people it's OK to eat? I saw in TED talk recently that about 50% of people think GMOs are bad for you (only about 7% of scientists do though). Every major health organization in the world has said they are no worse than regular vegetables, yet many people choose not to believe this. How will something even more science-y sounding go over with the public?

What if the fake meat uses GMO soy?! Ahhhh!!! Fake 'meat' that was never alive made from GMO soy?!! They'll call it the Zombie burger!

 

[indiferenc]

Hell yea vegans are gonna take over the world!!! there has been so much growth of vegan products in just the past few years that its really encouraging. there are now 3 mainstream fast food places near me with exclusively vegan products that just opened or just put an item on the menu within the past year. thats nuts! I remember when you couldnt buy any vegan or vegetarian stuff even in grocery store. now we have stuff in fast food places. nuts, so happy

 

[Lew Zealand]

Will we gain any additional food generation capacity if we switch from beef to this beyondo burger?

Beef production uses more energy and land to produce the same calories and protein as other meats and veggie-based foods. But what about the extra production cost of this meatless burger? Is it environmental production cost comparable to more resource-efficient plant food or is it closer to beef?

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Isn't this just a fancy soy burger?

 

[senketsu]

The problem is not animal meat/products. It is that corporations in their search for ever more profit treat the animals like ****. Meat actually has many things much harder to source from other foods, we can't digest cellulose, they can, so they do and we then eat them.
If you want to address human health, climate change and global resource constraints there simply needs to be less human beings. Any creature that hits insane high numbers destroys their environment. It took until 1804 to reach 1 billion humans, 1927 to reach 2 billion, currently we are at 7.7 billion humans, guess how this story ends.

population figure source: data by United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision. (Medium-fertility variant).

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

The problem is not animal meat/products. It is that corporations in their search for ever more profit treat the animals like ****. Meat actually has many things much harder to source from other foods, we can't digest cellulose, they can, so they do and we then eat them.
If you want to address human health, climate change and global resource constraints there simply needs to be less human beings. Any creature that hits insane high numbers destroys their environment. It took until 1804 to reach 1 billion humans, 1927 to reach 2 billion, currently we are at 7.7 billion humans, guess how this story ends.

population figure source: data by United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects: The 2017 Revision. (Medium-fertility variant).

It's not greed. No matter how well the animals are treated they will still poop. Cow farts are methane, and methane is a significant greenhouse gas. The poop goes back on the fields as fertilizer, so at least it's usable (and important).

The 2nd half of your post is also why we need a meat alternative. We currently have 7.7 billion people. As they people get richer they eat more meat, and as developing countries start having people with more money they will start eating more meat. This is a well documented fact.

We need to fix the animal waste problem, and getting people to change their behavior (I.e. go vegetarian) isn't going to happen. All a cow really does is change plant matter and water into meat. Why not figure out that process in a lab and skip the poop?

 

[Lew Zealand]

It's not greed. No matter how well the animals are treated they will still poop. Cow farts are methane, and methane is a significant greenhouse gas. The poop goes back on the fields as fertilizer, so at least it's usable (and important).

The 2nd half of your post is also why we need a meat alternative. We currently have 7.7 billion people. As they people get richer they eat more meat, and as developing countries start having people with more money they will start eating more meat. This is a well documented fact.

We need to fix the animal waste problem, and getting people to change their behavior (I.e. go vegetarian) isn't going to happen. All a cow really does is change plant matter and water into meat. Why not figure out that process in a lab and skip the poop?

That poop is really useful and valuable. You need natural fertilizer to grow organic crops and animal dung is the best source of this. Seeing as you can sell organic things for a higher margin than non-organic, animal based fertilizer is in demand.

Circle of life.

 

[Clamyboy74]

It's not greed. No matter how well the animals are treated they will still poop. Cow farts are methane, and methane is a significant greenhouse gas. The poop goes back on the fields as fertilizer, so at least it's usable (and important).

The 2nd half of your post is also why we need a meat alternative. We currently have 7.7 billion people. As they people get richer they eat more meat, and as developing countries start having people with more money they will start eating more meat. This is a well documented fact.

We need to fix the animal waste problem, and getting people to change their behavior (I.e. go vegetarian) isn't going to happen. All a cow really does is change plant matter and water into meat. Why not figure out that process in a lab and skip the poop?

That poop is really useful and valuable. You need natural fertilizer to grow organic crops and animal dung is the best source of this. Seeing as you can sell organic things for a higher margin than non-organic, animal based fertilizer is in demand.

Circle of life.

All of the cows in the world also release a total of about 2300 kg CO2 per year

 

[toooooot]

I think the biggest obstacle for such products is the rival meat industry. It is pretty much the same as gasoline industry: big money and very powerful people who have empires to loose when something better and possibly cheaper is coming to replace wheat they make.

 

[fastvince]

I have no 'Beef' with this !