Over the last decade, plant-based meat has gotten a lot more meaty.Dozens of startups have launched in recent years to develop more realistic-tasting burgers, nuggets, and sausages as an alternative to factory farmed meat, which causes billions of animals to suffer terribly, pollutes our air and water, and accelerates climate change. For a time, the plant-based meat sector was on a major upswing: Retail sales doubled from 2017 to 2020. But since then, sales have continually declined. Recently published data found a seven percent drop in plant-based meat retail dollar sales from 2023 to 2024 and an 11 percent drop in the number of products sold.To better understand what consumers really think about plant-based meat, a few months ago one organization conducted a huge blind taste test, which I recently covered:In December and January, Nectar — a nonprofit that conducts research on “alternative protein,” such as plant-based meat — brought together nearly 2,700 people in a first- and largest-of-its-kind blind taste test. Without knowing which version they were tasting, the participants tried 122 plant-based meat products across 14 categories, like burgers, hot dogs, and bacon, alongside one animal meat “benchmark” product per category. Each product was tested by at least 100 participants, who then rated them on texture, flavor, appearance, and overall enjoyment on a 7-point scale from “dislike very much” to “like very much.”Twenty of the plant-based products won Nectar’s “Tasty award” — meaning that half or more of the participants rated them better than or equal to the animal-based counterpart (six of the 20 came from just one company: Impossible Foods). This suggests that some of consumers’ preference for animal meat — or dislike of plant-based meat — is just in their head, an idea I explored in depth in April. A chef prepares Impossible Pork at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in 2020. David McNew/AFP via Getty ImagesThe products were all served as part of a dish, like they’d be eaten in regular life — vegan meatballs were served with spaghetti, for example, and deli slices in a sandwich with fixings. While some of these products don’t taste identical to meat when eaten on their own, when prepared in a meal, differences in taste become much less important.If you want to give the top-performing products a try, continue on to learn where to find the 14 that are available in the US, what I think of them (at least, the ones I’ve tried), and a bit about the companies behind these standout plant-based meats. (The six award-winning plant-based meat products that are only available in Europe can be found at the end of the article.)BurgersUS plant-based meat companies have reliably churned out meat-free burgers for decades, in part because they’re a beloved American staple, but also because ground beef is easier for food scientists to replicate than, say, a steak’s complex fibrous structure. You can now find plant-based burgers at the vast majority of US grocery stores, and even at a lot of restaurants. Here are the companies that made the best burgers in Nectar’s blind taste test:Impossible Foods: The company was founded in 2011 by Stanford biochemistry professor Pat Brown and spent five years developing the Impossible burger before launching it in 2016. Of all the plant-based burgers on the market, I think Impossible’s — made with soybeans — is the best, and it’s widely available in US grocery stores and restaurants, including every US Burger King location. MorningStar Farms: Founded in the 1970s and acquired by food giant Kellogg in 1999, MorningStar Farms is a legacy plant-based meat company that appears to still be investing a lot in R&D, given that it won two Tasty awards and keeps launching new products. I haven’t tried the winning “Steakhouse Style” burger, but it’s now at the top of my list to seek out. Beyond Meat: The company has played an instrumental role in upping the quality of plant-based meats over the last decade, thanks in large part to its award-winning Beyond Burger, made with peas, a protein-rich legume. Last year, the company reformulated the burger by reducing saturated fat and sodium, switching to avocado oil, and increasing protein. Chicken nuggetsI’ll be honest: I’ve tried a lot of plant-based chicken nuggets, and I can’t tell much of a difference between them (they all taste like, well, chicken). They’re among the easiest foods to make plant-based because chicken nuggets are already highly processed and bear little resemblance to whole chicken meat. You can’t go wrong with meat-free nuggs from the two Tasty award winners — Impossible Foods and MorningStar Farms — but I also recommend chicken nuggets from Beyond Meat and chicken tenders from Gardein.Chicken filletsImpossible Foods: This product is available at some restaurants but isn’t yet available in retail. Of all 122 plant-based meat products tested by Nectar, it performed best against its animal-based benchmark in the blind taste test. Meati: A couple years ago, I visited Meati’s headquarters in Colorado, where I got to see how their mycelium-based meat gets made. I was impressed by the production facility, the science behind their fungi-based products, and their small environmental footprint, but I’ve got to admit that I don’t like their products. The chicken fillet has a chicken-y flavor and tastes okay to me, but it holds a lot of water, which gives it a squishy texture. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try them — their classic cutlet performed great in a blind taste test. As of March, Meati products were available in over 7,000 retail stores. Swap Food: Headquartered in Paris, Swap Food’s chicken fillet is available at restaurants in North America, but only in three cities: Chicago, Vancouver, and Toronto. You can also order a pack of 20 fillets from this online Canadian grocery store.Breakfast sausage pattiesPlant-based breakfast sausage patties, like plant-based nuggets, all kind of taste the same to me. But blind taste testers have a preference for two companies’ products: Impossible Foods and Gardein, a Canadian company that’s launched a number of delicious plant-based meat products over the years, which are widely available in the US. I also like Impossible’s ground sausage, which comes in a roll, giving you flexibility in how to use it.Turkey deli slicesTofurky: Tofurky has been around since 1995, and it’s perhaps best known for its turkey slices, along with its Thanksgiving roast. The deli slices are perfect for sandwiches, rich in protein, and come in a variety of flavors. While their classic roasted turkey variety won the Tasty award, I prefer their smoked ham, roast beef, and bologna slices.Prime Roots: Most plant-based meat is made with soy, wheat, or peas as the protein source, but Prime Roots’ deli slices are made with koji, a fermentation agent used to make miso and soy sauce. I tried Prime Roots’ deli slices over three years ago and wasn’t a fan; to me, they had an off-putting aftertaste that Tofurky’s doesn’t. But blind taste participants were fans, and three years is an eternity in the startup world, so it’s very likely Prime Roots has improved its products. I’m excited to give them another try — you can too, since they’re available at nearly 300 stores and restaurants across the US.Meatballs and hot dogsThe only plant-based meatballs and hot dogs to win a Tasty award are made by — you guessed it — Impossible Foods. Its hot dogs are even good enough for Joey Chestnut, the world’s top-ranking competitive eater, who signed an endorsement deal with the company in 2024.Other plant-based meat products worth your moneyThe list above only includes products available in the US, but a number of Nectar’s winners appear to only be available in Europe:While a blind taste test is the best measurement of a plant-based meat’s quality, I also want to share some of my personal favorites — and those from friends and fellow Vox colleagues — that didn’t win a Tasty award but deserve the limelight just as much:If you can’t find a product near you, or want to try something not widely available in the US, there are a number of online food retailers, like Vegan Essentials and Thrive Market, that carry specialty plant-based products. Nectar’s blind taste test demonstrated that, overall, plant-based meat still has a long way to go to compete with animal meat on flavor, texture, price, and other attributes. But that so many of the plant-based products were rated just as good or better than their animal meat equivalents shows how far the industry has come in recent decades. In the years ahead, as the problems of our food system — animal cruelty, climate emissions, water pollution, and more — grow and worsen, its alternatives will improve. If we’re lucky, they’ll come to be seen less as substitutes and more as ethical, and tasty, options to satisfy humanity’s desire for meat.You’ve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you — threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you — join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More: المصدر: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/411819/best-plant-based-meat-impossible-beyond-gardein-tofurky #The #best #plantbased #meat #products #according #huge #blind #taste #test