Five years ago, the companies bringing “plant-based meat” to market were predicting the end of animal agriculture. Investors agreed and flooded the start-up ventures with seemingly limitless cash. JBS, Tyson and other large meat processors began to hedge their future by establishing new meat alternative ventures. 

At Expo West, the country’s largest natural products trade show, Beyond Meat, Impossible Burger, Meati, and other companies dominated the trade show floor with booths trumpeting the health and environmental benefits of their offerings.