Missouri plant will grind out meatless ground beef

Beyond Meat is moving beyond chicken substitutes with another meat analogue: Beef-Free Crumbles.

Beyond Meat launched with its Chicken-Free Strips a little more than a year ago. Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown said the beef product, which resembles ground beef that normally would be used in tacos or pastas, is exciting because consumers looking to reduce meat consumption often start by cutting back on red meat.

“Consumers feel more of an immediate need to pull off of beef,” Brown said in an interview at Beyond Meat’s Columbia factory.

The company, based in California, manufactures its products in Columbia using techniques originally developed by University of Missouri researchers Fu-hung Hsieh and Harold Huff. Huff is now employed by Beyond Meat.

Columbia Daily Tribune