Prof. Michael Rogers from the University of Guelph’s Department of Food Science is available to comment on the growing consumer interest in plant-based meat alternatives.

Rogers studies the food technologies that can improve the safety and nutritional profiles of processed foods, including molecular gels. He researches techniques to replace saturated and trans fats with unsaturated oils while keeping the desired structure of food.

Rogers recently spoke with CBC Radio’s Fresh Air to discuss the sudden consumer demand for plant-based burgers, such as the Beyond Meat burger and Impossible Burgers.

He explained how plant-based “meats” are made, noting they are cost-effective and shelf-stable. But he also said there are concerns about the nutritional content of ultra-processed food products.

A&W in Canada is now selling Beyond Burgers and plans to roll out the burgers into stores by the end of the month. Impossible Foods recently created a partnership with Burger King to include its burgers in stores. The company recently announced that interest in its products is growing so quickly, it is struggling to keep up.

Contact:

Prof. Michael Rogers
mroger09@uoguelph.ca