Beyond Meat is a company that specializes in the production of plant-based meat substitutes. Founded in 2009 by Ethan Brown, Beyond Meat aims to provide alternatives to traditional animal-based meat products, addressing environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and public health. The company uses ingredients such as pea protein, mung bean protein, and other plant-based components to create products that mimic the taste and texture of traditional meat. Plant-based alternatives are often considered to have a lower environmental impact, including reduced water usage and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Beyond Meat has formed partnerships with various restaurants, fast-food chains, and retailers to expand the availability of its products. Beyond Meat can be found in grocery stores, restaurants, and food service outlets in multiple countries. Beyond Meat went public in May 2019 with its initial public offering (IPO) on the NASDAQ stock exchange. This Beyond Meat brand of jerky is distributed by PLANet Partnership, LLC, and they are based out of El Segundo, California.
The first review for Beyond Meat will focus on a 3 ounce/85 gram bag of their original vegan jerky. This flavor is described as slightly smoky and sweet with hints of onion and garlic. The bag was purchased at a Walmart store in Niagara Falls, New York.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Water, Mung Bean Protein, Brown Sugar, Pea Protein, Natural Flavors, Gluten Free Oat Bran and Fiber, Salt, Canola Oil Expeller Pressed, Onion Powder and less than 1% of Vegetable Juice Color, Vinegar, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Pomegranate Concentrate, Garlic Powder, Sunflower Lecithin.
The main ingredient used here is mung bean protein. It is a staple of Asian diets and offers many health benefits. Mung beans are small green beans that are part of the legume family. Mung beans contain an impressive amount of fiber, which helps with digestion and appetite regulation. The highest ingredient rating that can be awarded is a Good (8/10) rating.
The liquid marinade consists of water, healthy vinegar, lemon juice concentrate, and pomegranate concentrate.
Some healthy ingredients are added, such as mung bean protein, pea protein, gluten free oat bran, gluten free oat fiber, onion powder, garlic powder, and sunflower lecithin.
The sugar level is on the high side at 6 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky to lose a rating. Our preference is 3 grams of sugar or less per 28 grams of jerky. The salt level is high at 500mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky to lose another rating.
This jerky qualifies to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservative. Instead, salt is the main preservative used. Citric acid also acts as a preservative to a lesser extent. Admirably, this jerky has no MSG added.
Alright (6/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
BEYOND MEAT – ORIGINAL VEGAN JERKY
For this taste review, I am drinking a Cold IPA beer from Mill St. Brewery.
When I open the bag, I smell a pleasant, earthy fragrance, which may be the mung beans. These jerky strips are mostly medium in size and are sliced to a medium thickness. The texture is quite dry. Handling this jerky leaves a little bit of oily residue on your fingers.
Biting into this strip, I am met with a medium saltiness, mild pepper, light onion & garlic, and some sweetness. The mung beans taste better than the textured soy protein commonly used with vegan jerky. Chewing is fairly similar to eating real jerky without a natural grain. Other light flavors blend well together to round out the taste profile.
While I am not a vegan jerky fan, this jerky tastes alright, but I have zero desire to finish the bag. Our mascot, whippet Lexi, surprisingly finished a strip.
This 3 ounce/85 gram bag of jerky costs $1.33. That works out to a cheap price.
Bag Review
Everything is imprinted directly on the plastic bag, both front and back. There are no labels affixed to this bag. The Beyond Meat logo has what appears to be a calf.
Some slogans printed on this bag are “The Future of Protein” and “Beyond Jerky”. Some facts printed on the bag are “New”, “Plant-Based”, Slow Roasted & Kettle Cooked”, “No GMOs”, “No Soy”, “No Gluten”, “10g of Plant Protein”, and “Try Our Other Flavors – Hot & Spicy and Teriyaki”.
All bag categories are covered. There is a good blurb printed on the back about this flavor. To the credit of Beyond Meat, a toll-free phone number is provided for customer inquiries.
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