Vegans Really Saving the World?

The burger was really yummy. It was unique in my world as a vegan burger as it had a similar bite and mouth-feel as a beef burger. Flavor-wise it tasted yum.

From a useability perspective we bought these from the cooler section of the store but they had been previously frozen. The patties cooked up with a lot of the same "grill feel" as a lean ground chuck patty.

All in all an excellent burger experience. I am not a vegan and so the mayo and cheese on there took it to the next level... Fusion, I like to say.

And while I enjoyed the experience of cooking and eating a delicious Vegan-fusion burger, Its not one I'm bound to repeat anytime soon; and here's why:

1. The second ingredient is canola oil. Poly-unsaturated fatty acids in excess have been implicated in enough diseases that I'm really cautious about including it in my diet. A diet high in canola oil is a diet that reduces life expectancy. This burger will not be a staple in my diet because of that.

2. The greenwashing. Modern veganism tends to put itself up on a pedestal around how "environmentally friendly" it is being by choosing a vegan lifestyle. This is largely based on a UN report that indicated that the best thing we can do for the planet is to give up meat. What this report failed to consider is that the problem isn't so much the meat as it is modern industry in general. The Soy, Pea, Canola and other mass produced ingredients in this patty are just as input-heavy as modern meat farms and FAR MORE environmentally destructive than my locally-raised, grass-fed beef option.

3. The excessive plastic packaging. They printed the cardboard package part on recycled paper (kudos) with soy-based ink (go vegans!!), but packed the two-pack of burgs inside in a specially molded plastic shell and sealed in clear plastic. Sorry. I can't justify buying that much packaging for my meal.

I think that if the packaging were to get a little better I would consider having one once in a while as a treat, or even keeping some on hand for my vegan friends. They definitely won't be a staple in our diet here.