The Wall Street Journal - I Have a Beef With Phony Meat

Op-Ed

By Deb Fischer

A group of vegans are suing Burger King over its meatless alternative, the "Impossible Burger." They allege that after the restaurant added the plant-based patty to its menu, Burger King "contaminated" those burgers by exposing them to real meat on the grill. As a lifelong Nebraskan and a cattle rancher, I can't imagine how someone could see beef as a "contaminant." But this lawsuit reflects a growing challenge with imitation meat: Americans are increasingly unsure what's on their dinner plates.

Chances are you've heard of plant-based protein products seeking to imitate the taste of real beef. Many of these fake-meat companies are running smear campaigns against actual beef, using deceptive labeling and marketing practices. This has left consumers confused about the ingredients and nutritional values of so-called beef alternatives. I introduced the Real MEAT Act in the Senate because Americans deserve to know whether the meat they are eating is the real thing.

In a recent survey, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association found that 80% of consumers believe alternative protein products are nutritionally equivalent or superior to actual beef. There's no evidence to support that claim. A 4-ounce serving of lean ground beef contains a range of nutrients that fake meat lacks, including zinc, iron and B vitamins. Real beef also contains less fat, saturated fat and sodium, as well as more protein, compared with most meat alternatives of equal weight.

Beyond Meat, a California-based company, recently removed an inaccurate statistic from its website that claimed eating meat increases your chance of getting cancer and heart disease. The website failed to note that the study it was citing referred only to highly processed meats, not fresh beef.

Plant-based proteins are made up of a laundry list of mostly processed ingredients--there are 21 ingredients in an Impossible Burger and 22 in a Beyond Burger. Even so, the NCBA survey found more than a fifth of consumers mistakenly believed that these products do in fact contain meat. Less than half of respondents knew that plant-based "beef" was completely vegan.

Misleading labels are to blame for the confusion. Plant-based protein packaging often contains the words "beef," "meat" and "burger" in large letters. The Real MEAT Act would work to end deceptive labeling practices for imitation meat products, clear up confusion by codifying a definition of "beef" for product labeling, and provide a mechanism for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to seek enforcement actions if a product is found to be mislabeled. The bill would also ensure that the packaging for these products clearly states they contain no actual meat.

Nebraska farmers and ranchers have been producing amazing beef for generations, and its quality is a source of pride for our entire state. It's delicious and nutritious. Americans deserve to know what they are eating, particularly when they want to be sure that the meat on their plates is the kind of real, irreplaceable beef for which Nebraska is famous.

I will continue to work to build support for the Real MEAT Act in the Senate and among my colleagues on the Agriculture Committee. Working together, we can end the smear campaign against real beef and bring certainty to the supermarket.

Mrs. Fischer, a Republican, is a U.S. senator from Nebraska.

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