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Smithfield Foods, the largest pork producer in the world, is launching plant-based burger and breakfast patties, meatballs, and more.
Under its Pure Farmland brand, Smithfield has created a soy-based line of products, all made in the USA with natural flavors and entirely from plants. The new line boasts a satisfying meaty taste and texture similar to that of famed brands Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods.
The line’s initial eight plant-based products include burgers, meatballs, breakfast patties, and ground beef “protein starters.” Some even feature vegan cheese. The new products will be available this September in refrigerated sections of grocery stores nationwide. John Pauley, chief commercial officer for Smithfield Foods, said in a statement:
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of this new product portfolio under our Pure Farmland brand. We’ve been exploring the alternative protein space, and have taken our time to get it right.
Smithfield’s choice to embrace plant-based products is a step in the right direction, and it couldn’t come soon enough. With a history of animal cruelty and harming local communities, Smithfield urgently needs to get out of the business of factory farming animals.
Fortunately, times are changing. A new report by The Good Food Institute and the Plant Based Foods Association shows that sales of plant-based meats are growing five times faster than sales of animal meats. Caroline Bushnell, associate director of The Good Food Institute, told Inverse: “This is not a bubble or a fad. It’s a real change in consumer behavior.”
Every time consumers buy plant-based products over animal-based ones, they send a clear message to companies like Smithfield and help move us closer to a more sustainable and compassionate food system.
Cover Photo: Smithfield Foods