Plant-based burgers aren't a health food. That's a good thing. [View all]

"Let’s get real: The idea that most people actually want to eat healthy food is a joke. Would you be surprised to learn that the salad on Wendy’s menu isn’t their most popular item? I’m glad they offer it, but nobody goes to McDonald’s for the fruit. They go there for greasy, good ol’-fashioned Americana. The things we humans like—lots of fat, salt, sugar, etc.—aren’t good for us. Evidence clearly suggests that a surefire way to turn a consumer off from eating your food is to let them know it’s healthy.

"In other words, the reason Impossible and Beyond products have taken off in a way that earlier, vegetarian-targeted brands such as Boca and Gardein never quite did is not their nutritional profile. It’s the fact that they actually taste good. The great opportunity of these innovative, super-realistic meat alternatives is their potential to convince die-hard meat eaters that they can, in fact, eat satisfying and delicious food without relying on animals. Making comfort food healthier at the expense of taste decreases the chances that consumers will make the switch, and reinforces the message that plant-based food is for health nuts and hippies."

https://www.fastcompany.com/90606065/plant-based-burgers-arent-a-health-food-thats-a-good-thing

A perspective for the next time someone asks you, "Why do they make that stuff that looks like meat?"

(And also, it makes it more fun to go to picnics...once, in the bad old days, I was served corn on a bun (LOOSE CORN ON A HOT DOG BUN, PEOPLE) as the veg option.)