Climate change and the negative impact agriculture has on the environment are no longer a far-flung concept. The Earth needs saving, and change must happen soon. Plant-based alternatives that reduce the environmental impact have been gaining traction, with the U.S. retail market reaching $8B in 2022. Although that presents a significant growth from past decades, the plant-based industry makes up only 1.3% of the total retail meat sales.
More and more people are reaching for meat-free alternatives, but 93% of households that bought plant-based products in 2022 also bought traditional meat. The fact is, a considerable amount of society isn't ready to fully commit to a plant-based, or vegetarian diet. Whether it be based on price, concerns over a long list of ingredients and processing, or purely for the taste aspects, most people still eat meat, and that won't change anytime soon.
What if there was a more affordable, all-natural, sustainable, healthier solution that still contains 100% pure ground meat? Michelle Adelman, who has dedicated the last decade to building sustainable food and agriculture businesses, has a perfect solution. As a founder of Crossover Meats, Michelle is taking on food inflation and environmental sustainability, while offering a 100% pure meat alternative that is just as tasty as traditional meat.
Crossover Meats, founded in 2019, is a woman-owned company on a mission to revolutionize and improve ground meat. Patented from a lab at Stanford University, Crossover Meats is answering the calls of environmentally conscious individuals who want to leave a positive mark on the planet. Crossover Meats addresses the concerns surrounding plant-based and cultured meat alternatives, creating a product that is all-natural, GMO-free, more affordable than red meat, and tastes just as delicious as a typical beef burger.
Ground meat is made of lean protein, fat, and blood. When grinding its products, Crossover Meats replaces the lean protein of ground red meat with whole chicken breast. Compared to red meat, Crossover Meats is a more sustainable and renewable protein, that uses up to 50% less land, 40% less water, and produces up to 50% less greenhouse gas emissions
While Crossover Meats products contain at least 60% chicken, along with beef fat and blood, the flavor and texture are the same as ground beef. The fat allows the burgers to have a rich flavor like a traditional burger, while the USDA-certified beef blood is an excellent source of bioavailable iron that also gives beef its slightly metallic taste. Additionally, by replacing lean protein with chicken breast, Crossover Meats reduced the amount of trans and saturated fats that are in regular patties, offering a healthier alternative.
"We make decisions 3 times a day about what we eat and cutting back red meat is a choice we can make as individuals that has a real impact on our health and the environment. You can choose Crossover Meats which still tastes as delicious as any other burger. I think food is one of those daily decisions people underestimate the impact they can make. My goal is to give people great tasting, affordable, and all-natural alternatives," expresses Michelle.
"Better for you, better for the environment" are words Michelle lives by, and creating Crossover Meats is one of her contributions to offering consumers healthier and more sustainable alternatives. In a perfect world, greener and healthier affirmations would be enough to make consumers convert, and purchase meat alternatives. However, the reality is that most people consider taste and price more than anything else.
Chicken is a much more affordable source of protein than red meat, and by using it to replace lean beef protein, Crossover Meats products are up to 20% more cost-friendly than traditional meat. In addition to the chicken and beef products, Crossover Meats has also introduced pork and lamb blends to give consumers variety and fight menu fatigue.
Crossover Meats will begin to be available US nationwide, starting at Draeger's Markets in Northern California, at Giant Food on the East Coast, and online at crossovermeats.com.
Here's the ironic thing - Michelle, the founder of Crossover Meats, is fully plant-based. One of the challenges Michelle encounters with the company being owned by a vegan is that many people assume Crossover Meats offers plant-based alternatives. She also has faced pushback from the plant-based investment community due to her involvement with the company.
Michelle responds, "There's a difference between having ideals and being idealistic. I want to promote a sustainable food system. I don't believe that industrial agriculture and animal cruelty are good for our health or the planet. In my ideal world, everyone would be plant-based. But I'm a realist, and I know others don't have to believe in what I believe. Crossover Meats enables me to close the gap between traditional red meat and plant-based meat while helping consumers be thoughtful about the food choices they make. This way, I can offer delicious products that taste like beef, lamb, and pork, while moving the needle on health and sustainability in a positive direction."
