Opinion: Veggie burgers were living an idyllic little existence. Then they got caught in the war over meat.

Tofurky wasn’t keeping cattle ranchers awake at night.

For decades, veggie burgers were the token offering to vegans at the backyard barbecue, and Tofurky was the Thanksgiving benediction to the meat-free loved ones in our lives.

But as plant-based meat goes from an afterthought to a financial juggernaut that aims to change how most people eat, the opposition has suddenly awakened: Many of the country’s 800,000 cattle ranchers have declared war on newcomers Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, which use technology to make products that hew closely to the taste and texture of meat, and now “first-generation” veggie burgers and similar products are caught in the crossfire.

For full story please go to:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/08/25/veggie-burgers-were-living-an-idyllic-little-existence-then-they-got-caught-war-over-future-meat/