These vegan meat brands are taking the food industry by storm, but only one can win the popular vote!
Beyond vs. Impossible: Which plant-based meat do Americans prefer? Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods both launched their innovative burger alternatives in 2016. While both plant-based food companies have since expanded their reach and now offer full lines of plant-based meat alternatives, including Beyond Breakfast Sausages and Impossible Chicken Nuggets, there is no denying that their burger products are the real OGs. Both Beyond and Impossible burgers are known for their authentic meaty taste—move over veggie patties!—but they come with glaring ingredient differences. Let’s talk burger specs!
How the Beyond Burger and Impossible Burger Stack Up
Beyond Burger is made from a pea protein base and the product is free from both soy and gluten. Each serving contains 230 calories, 20g of protein, 14g of fat, 2g of fiber, and no cholesterol. Beyond patties are fortified with zinc, B vitamins, and calcium. Impossible burgers are soy- and potato-based. While the updated Impossible 2.0 recipe is free from gluten, the original recipe did include gluten-containing ingredients. Each serving of Impossible weighs in with 240 calories, 19g of protein, 14g of fat, 3g of fiber, and no cholesterol. Impossible patties are fortified with zinc and B vitamins and contain heme iron—an unheard of ingredient in the plant kingdom. This innovative ingredient was derived from yeast-fermented soy leghemoglobin and adds meaty flavor and dietary iron. Of note, both vegan alternatives contain more fiber and less dietary cholesterol than lean beef burgers.
Vegan Fast Food Options Globally
Despite their differences, both companies required years of innovation and are now soaring in popularity among vegans, flexitarians, and meat-eaters alike, providing new vegan fast food options on a global scale. Beyond Meat products are sold across 80 countries and the plant-based brand has partnered with leading companies like McDonald’s, KFC, and Pizza Hut. Impossible products are carried by more than 30,000 foodservice operators globally and their burgers serve as the protein-rich filling inside the Impossible Whopper at Burger Kings nationwide.
The Best Vegan Burger
Back to our burning question—Beyond vs. Impossible: Which plant-based meat do Americans prefer? According to abillion, the sustainability-focused consumer review platform, Beyond Meat’s Beyond Burger is this year’s best vegan burger, while the Impossible Burger by Impossible Foods ranked #4 based on the “World’s 10 Best Vegan Burgers of 2021” awards. These awards utilized over 12,000 reviews of plant-based burger products posted between July 2020 and June 2021 by members from over 60 countries. Don’t agree with the results? It might be based on where you live!
Team Beyond Meat or Team Impossible Foods
In the United States, there is a clear regional difference between team Beyond Meat and team Impossible Foods. Beyond Meat seems to be more popular overall, winning over 31 states, but many Midwest and Southern states seem to prefer Impossible Foods products, making up the remaining 19 states. This data is derived from geotagged Twitter trends collected between May and August of this year by vegan blog and recipe site, Vegan in the Freezer. Are you surprised by the results? Tell us what you think. Are you Team Beyond Meat or Team Impossible Foods?
