According to an USA Today December 18, 2019 article, Caroline Bushnell, Good Food Institute quoted “2019 was a big year for plant-based meat,” as of October, sales of plant-based meat in the US had reached $946.6 million which is 10.2% than the previous year and predicting it could reach $1 billion in 2020.  

It appears the millennial generation is the driving force behind the demand.  People born between 1981 and 1996 who are 22-37 years of age with children of their own are the primary consumers.  They are the ones that frequent the fast food chains such as Burger King promoting the “Impossible Burger”.  

Given the rise in marketing of alternative meats I felt that it was important for 4-H members and their families to have a better understanding of how it was produced and how it compared nutritionally and taste wise to the real thing.

Anna Hawkins, director of affairs with the KY Beef Council, spoke to 4-H livestock club members about the importance of beef in their diet vs alternative meats.  The biggest take home message was all the ingredients used to produce the alternative meat and the fact that it contained more sodium.  For example, an “Impossible Whopper” by Burger King contains 370 mg of sodium compared to 61 mg of sodium in a 100% Beef Patty.  

Members participated in a blind taste test of original whoppers vs impossible whoppers with any of the usual dressings.  Most agreed there was no comparison for it was easy to distinguish between the two by viewing the size of the product, texture and taste.  Therefore, it was easy to conclude that when served with all the usual toppings it might not be as easy to distinguish between them.

Following the taste test, they were divided into groups where each prepared real ground beef, made their own taco seasoning and prepared toppings for the final product.  Many of the participants are children of millennial's so it is important for them to learn how to make responsible nutritional decisions while at the same time learning how to prepare their next meal.  

The bottom line is that some of the companies involved in producing alternative meat would like to see an end to animal agriculture.  While many of our 4-H youth are involved in animal science projects it is important to educate them so that they may in turn share the same message with others of their generation.