Beyond Meat plans to launch two new versions of its meatless burger

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/16/beyond-meat-to-launch-two-new-versions-of-its-meatless-burger.html

• Beyond Meat is set to launch two new versions of its Beyond Burger nationwide early next year.
• According to the company, one of the new burgers will be its juiciest yet with 35 percent less saturated fat than a burger made from a blend of beef that is 80 percent lean meat and 20 percent fat.
• The second burger is meant to appeal to the more health-minded consumer as it has 55 percent less saturated fat than a typical beef burger.
• Both burgers will have B vitamins and minerals similar to beef.
• Even though Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have seen their popularity grow over recent years, Dietitians say it would be better for consumers to view plant-based burgers as an indulgence, much like someone would with a beef burger.
• Just this year, shares of Beyond Meat have increased by 66 percent. The company has a market value of $7.88 billion.

China’s irritated trade partners push back on coronavirus food tests

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-china-food/chinas-irritated-trade-partners-push-back-on-coronavirus-food-tests-idUSKBN27X14P

• China claims that the country has found coronavirus on products from 20 different countries including German pork, Brazilian beef and Indian fish.
  • Nevertheless, foreign officials say there is a lack of evidence produced by Chinese authorities proving these claims.
• Numerous major-food producing countries are growing continually frustrated over these allegations by China and officials say trade has been damaged, along with the reputation of imported food for no reason.
• The World Trade Organization hosted a meeting on November 5^th and 6^th, where Canada said that China’s testing of imported foods and rejection of products that had positive nucleic acid tests are unjustified trade restrictions.
• Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Britain and the U.S. supported Canada as the country claimed that China had not provided scientific justification for their outrageous actions.
• Since the meeting, China has only intensified its imported food screening.
• The Global Times, a tabloid backed by China’s ruling communist party, said that the discovery of coronavirus on food increases the possibility that the virus may have come from overseas rather than the central Chinese city of Wuhan, as many believe that’s where the virus originated last year.
• Even though the World Health Organization has said all along that neither food nor packaging are known transmission routes for the virus, China began testing chilled and frozen food imports in June.
• According to a Beijing-based diplomat, there hasn’t been one single lab analysis proving actual coronavirus on imported products to China.
• On Monday, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, also questioned China’s claims after the city of Jinan reported that it had found coronavirus on frozen New Zealand beef.
  • Ardern said that she was sure no meat products exported from her country were contaminated with the virus.
• In response to the World Trade Organization, China claims that its actions are “provisional based on scientific basis” and intended to “protect people’s lives to the maximum extent.”

Boxed beef prices

www.nationalbeefwire.com

• Choice boxed beef: $233.72 (+6.77)
• Select boxed beef: $213.96 (+1.61)