IPOs: Beyond Meat or Beyond CRAZY!?

[timo2]

As far as the fake meat burgers that are all the rage, I still don't understand why people who want to avoid meat, insist on duplicating it with factory made, non-meat products containing things like cellulose from bamboo. I have yet to meet a meat lover who is working on a recipe to make meat taste like carrots or broccoli, or green beans, or apples, etc. etc. etc. There are many tasty vegetarian recipes in books and online. There is no need for fake meat. My lentil burgers are quite tasty with some seasoning, my home made ketchup, and caramelized onions. .

I think it is now proven that you can put almost anything on a bun with lettuce, tomato, a sauce or two, onion, and whatever and it will all taste the same, because all the other stuff covers up the taste of whatever else has been slabbed on the sandwich.

 

[Pete10k]

While perusing the interwebs, I came across a story on "Beyond Meat" on CNBC. Now, I don't watch CNBC very often and I might take a look at their website headlines once every few days but I have seen this Beyond Meat being covered every time I have been to the site. So, I read the story and was amazed to learn that this company had its IPO back in May but now its market cap is over $10 BILLION and is larger than 80 S&P 500 companies...some of which include Macy's and Zerox.



https://www.cnbc.com/2019/06/19/bey...ga-rally-but-ipo-euphoria-might-not-last.html

To me, this is MADNESS! I am a "steady as she goes" index investor, so I don't keep up with most of the IPO news, but this just really blows me away. Is there just THAT much money that people have no issues with these highly speculative stocks that have made NO PROFIT!?!

I was in the mall the day bynd went public while my wife shopped. The price was bouncing all over between 58 and 68. I was really close to buying 1,000 sh’s at 64 and was very tempted to do so. 10 years ago I would have but now that I’m fired I’m proud of myself for not straying from my dividend growth income strategy no matter that it hit $174/sh the other day.

 

[Midpack]

IMHO, people who sell 'detox' regimes and 'cleanses' are in the same category as people who call you and advise buying some unknown stock because 'projections show it will quadruple in the next six months'.

As far as the fake meat burgers that are all the rage, I still don't understand why people who want to avoid meat, insist on duplicating it with factory made, non-meat products containing things like cellulose from bamboo. I have yet to meet a meat lover who is working on a recipe to make meat taste like carrots or broccoli, or green beans, or apples, etc. etc. etc. There are many tasty vegetarian recipes in books and online. There is no need for fake meat. My lentil burgers are quite tasty with some seasoning, my home made ketchup, and caramelized onions.

Are these fake meat burgers a good investment? I have no idea. I put them int he same category as investing in retail pot-shop companies. They are a speculation at this point, IMHO.

Again, animal cruelty and/or environmental impact of mainstream beef production. It's just another choice, no right or wrong. And again, there is no benign choice - it's not as if beef production is ever benign.

FWIW, we are using Beyond Meat products at home. I will also eat a beef burger or steak out once in a while. So I guess you could say we've further reduced our beef consumption.

 

[Midpack]

By the way, expeller-pressed oil is still usually extracted using high heat, along with mechanical pressure/friction. That high heat can cause the oil to go rancid quickly, and rancid oils have adverse health impacts.

With regard to beef, I agree with you that slaughterhouse (CAFO) beef is not the healthiest choice, which is why I buy grass-fed beef from a local farmer. The animals are raised humanely, it's better for the environment, and the meat is healthier.

Do you have a source for that? I couldn't find stats on what's cold expeller pressed vs introducing heat. And your source was most averse to chemical extraction, which has nothing to do with 3 of the 4 products she referenced - or simply put she's a quack on this subject.

I'm not sure local grass-fed beef are any happier about their outcomes than slaughterhouse animals, and how is that better for the environment? It still takes excessive amounts of water and feed per pound of protein vs other protein sources whether they live at Daisy Hill Farms or a Cargill facility.

Again, I'm only saying there is no benign choice.

 

[audreyh1]

I can understand some folks not wishing to have livestock raised by humans killed for food. But is there really a difference between killing a cow or chicken or pig or lamb?

 

[JoeWras]

And you can say the same thing about fish. DW and I very seldom eat "factory fish" harvested by huge netting or long line operations or "farmed fish" processed in questionable sanitary conditions on board or on shore. We prefer catching, cleaning and freezing our own. The exception is salt water fish which we seldom have direct access to (we're Midwesterners).

The problem is the world isn't big enough for this to work within the parameters of the population. Fish farms are becoming an important source of food to the world population.

I saw an episode of "Dirty Jobs" where they were raising Tilapia in the Arizona desert. It was enlightening. I lost my taste for Tilapia that day. I'm not against fish farming, it's just that for Tilapia, they can live in very concentrated settings that I found a bit unsettling. Perhaps I'm just a hypocrite though, since commercial chicken farming does about the same on land and I ignore it and love chicken.

 

[audreyh1]

There are already too many people, and as we focus on how to feed more people, we will just end up with even more people.

 

[Chuckanut]

Again, animal cruelty and/or environmental impact of mainstream beef production. It's just another choice, no right or wrong. And again, there is no benign choice - it's not as if beef production is ever benign.

FWIW, we are using Beyond Meat products at home. I will also eat a beef burger or steak out once in a while. So I guess you could say we've further reduced our beef consumption.

I'll agree that modern animal farming is not pretty. Normally, I try to get grass fed beef. Since I don't eat much beef, the added cost is not an issue for me.

But, I don't think the choice is between eating factory made meat substitutes and factory like animal farming. I think one can avoid and/or reduce one's meat consumption without resorting to factory made meat substitutes. A good vegetarian cook book is the first thing needed.

Back to the topic.... As I said before I believe these meat substitutes are a speculation at this point from an investment point of view. Right now they are all the rage, but these things change with time. I still remember when we were told to cook with shortening made with trans-fats since it is 'healthier' than butter, lard, etc. Not a great recommendation. Will we see headlines 10 years from now,"Meat substitutes responsible for increase in toenail fungus amputations!" ??

 

[Rianne]

It is interesting how people mask food with fake flavors, colors, labels, and sweeteners.
I ask myself, would a lion eat Beyond Meat, would a bee drink diet soda? Hell no.

Would my DH eat Michelina's $10/10, hell yes. Food science at its finest! I'm looking at the protein content, not worth it in this world or the next. Yikes.

 

[nash031]

I don't know about the rest of you, but when I see a large number of IPOs, and then I see some of those IPOs causing what I view as an unreasonable feeding frenzy (like this one), my "cautious" hackles go up.

 

[OldShooter]

I don't know about the rest of you, but when I see a large number of IPOs, and then I see some of those IPOs causing what I view as an unreasonable feeding frenzy (like this one), my "cautious" hackles go up.

Statistically, IPOs are not a good deal. And why would they be? The underwriters price them as high as they feel the market will accept. Occasionally they get it wrong, like in this case. When that happens there is a lot of press. The people who buy IPOs that tank or that go nowhere do not make the news.

The other problem is that little retail investors are not offered hot IPOs. These go to the underwriters' institutional clients and heavy hitter retail customers. So anything offered to us little guys is almost guaranteed to be stinky; the houses' big customers have considered the deal and are not buying. The only exception is very small IPOs managed by small local houses. I have made money on those in years past but don't know if that kind of deal is even around any more.

 

[RAE]

There are already too many people, and as we focus on how to feed more people, we will just end up with even more people.

+1.

 

[braumeister]

There are already too many people, and as we focus on how to feed more people, we will just end up with even more people.

Recycling must be the answer.

 

[RAE]

Do you have a source for that? I couldn't find stats on what's cold expeller pressed vs introducing heat.
I'm not sure local grass-fed beef are any happier about their outcomes than slaughterhouse animals, and how is that better for the environment? It still takes excessive amounts of water and feed per pound of protein vs other protein sources whether they live at Daisy Hill Farms or a Cargill facility.

Some information on grass-fed beef versus CAFO beef:

https://draxe.com/grass-fed-beef-nutrition/

Some info. on how expeller-pressed canola oil is made (note that in addition to the heat involved, it is also typically "refined, bleached, and deodorized", similar to what is done in the solvent extraction process:

The Difference Between Solvent Expelled, Expeller Pressed and Cold Pressed Oil

 

[timo2]

Recycling must be the answer.
View attachment 31925

 

[Winemaker]

If cows, lambs, and pigs weren't meant to be eaten, why are they filled with meat?



https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meat

 

[Midpack]

If cows, lambs, and pigs weren't meant to be eaten, why are they filled with meat?

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meat

You're "filled with meat," should someone eat you?

Just taking an easy line, nothing serious...

 

[ERD50]

You're "filled with meat," should someone eat you?

Just taking an easy line, nothing serious...

Somebody's got to be at the top of the food chain! (also non-serious)

-ERD50

 

[Chuckanut]

There are already too many people, and as we focus on how to feed more people, we will just end up with even more people.

Some folks are saying that the increasing age of the world’s population may slow or even reverse population growth by 2100.

 

[REWahoo]

Some folks are saying that the increasing age of the world’s population may slow or even reverse population growth by 2100.

We're doing our part - stopped having more kids 40+ years ago.

 

[Winemaker]

You're "filled with meat," should someone eat you?

Just taking an easy line, nothing serious...

You're exactly right, but I think it has to do with the proper wine pairing?

 

[Beststash]

Population growth and changing trends in diet have led to a doubling of meat consumption by humans over the past half-century. By 2050, estimates suggest meat production will have to increase to 455 million tons each year, up from 259 tons today, in order to satisfy the additional demand generated by population and income growth, according to a 2012 report by the United Nations.
But producing that much meat using conventional methods might ruin the planet. Meat and dairy products account for 70 percent of global water consumption, 38 percent of land use, and 19 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the report.

Our family has started having "Once a week meat-free days" in hope of lowering our impact - although we eat very little beef, we do eat chicken and fish most days. One of the biggest impact I see in Central Texas is not only meat production but in the case of conventional beef production lots of herbicides, hay production, and clearing of acreage all have a big environmental impact.

As far as BYND as an investment, I assume it is just another speculative investment. There have been lot of high market cap companies in the last 25 years that have never or seldom made a profit. The new adage these days seems to be "no profit, no problem", especially when it comes to tech sector.

Mock Meat is becoming pretty popular in Austin. Not sure if it is based upon curiosity, animal cruelty, environmental, or just the latest fad - time will tell.

 

[braumeister]

You're "filled with meat," should someone eat you?

You're exactly right, but I think it has to do with the proper wine pairing?

Oh, that's an easy one.
https://www.cannibalcreek.com.au

 

[Walt34]

Oh, that's an easy one.
https://www.cannibalcreek.com.au

You are warped!

 

[timo2]

Here we go: "UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The world’s population is getting older and growing at a slower pace but is still expected to increase from 7.7 billion currently to 9.7 billion in 2050, the United Nations said Monday."


https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/un-world-will-add-2-billion-more-people-in-next-31-years/