For a few months now we’ve been hearing of a veggie burger patty by Beyond Meat that taste, feels and looks like real ground beef. We heard that Wholefoods carried their products but after hitting a few locations around the Vancouver area we came back empty handed. Luckily, we live close to the U.S. so we decided to travel to our closest Wholefoods location south of the border. Kids in tow, we were determined to get our hands on these now famous burgers so we set out on a weekend adventure to Bellingham WA. It is a known fact that you should never underestimate the determination of a group of hungry vegans.

When we arrived at Wholefoods, we quickly found out that Beyond Meat does more than just veggie burgers. In fact, they produce quite a wide variety of quick to prepare and healthier vegan meal options. Their burgers came in both the fresh and frozen variety and since we were spending the day in the area we decided to get the frozen ones which we put on ice in the coolers (though next time I really want to try the fresh ones).

Right out of the gate, the first thing that struck me was the list of ingredients. It’s a comprehensive list with ingredients most people will be able to recognize. I always say that if there are any components of a food product you can’t pronounce, you shouldn’t eat it. Now, it is still a burger, which I consider fast food so I would not recommend you eat this type of meal everyday but once in a while comfort food has its merits. You’ll be happy to know that the ingredients come from non GMO sources and that the product is also sustainable for the environment.

It took us forever to go through customs on the way back so we ended up cooking them the day after our trip. However, we were about to find out that this whole trip had totally  been worth it. It was love at first bite! The texture, the taste, oh my… The decadence! Even the kids were impressed. All of the sudden, the taste took me back more than a quarter century; the last time I actually had a beef burger. My first thought was… Great! Another nail in the coffin for the meat industry. It effectively removes all excuses for someone to cook beef… First, it tastes great (you would never know it’s not beef) second, you can keep your BBQ family traditions alive, third, you cause no harm to an innocent sentient being or the environment (so no more guilt and ethical conflict) and fourth… It is a brilliant and much healthier alternative for humans to eat as well; that’s what I would call a win win situation! I wholeheartedly give these veggie patties two thumbs way up! In my opinion, Beyond Meat’s international expansion can’t come fast enough… I’ll even volunteer to translate the packaging for free to meet Canadian language law requirements if that’ll help them get into this market faster. In the mean time, we will be planning many more trips down to Bellingham.