That’s interesting, because so far I’d heard that vegetarians find it too “meaty” and meat eaters preferred it.
Re not an improvement - depends on the buyer’s goals re animal protein replacement vs not. But yes, many ingredients as with most/all fake meat.
I can see where vegetarians might find it “too meaty” due to the texture. The texture is VASTLY more beef-like than any other meat substitute I have ever eaten, and I am sure that for someone who hasn’t eaten meat in many years, the resemblance would be freaky. As far as the flavor, though - I can’t imagine how anyone who truly loves beef would think this is an acceptable substitute, let alone prefer it to the flavor of beef. I will say I might choose it over a turkey burger, but I truly detest turkey burgers so that is not really a ringing endorsement.
That’s been my impression too, from the admittedly small sample of people I know personally. The vegetarian/vegans did not like it - BTW most of them don’t like Field Roast products either for the same reason - too meatlike.
I tried the Beyond burger patties- and was TOTALLY freaked out!!! They taste waaaaayyyy too much like what i remember of beef! It’s been, umm, decades, so there’s that.
If you’re looking for an alternative to ground turkey/beef in a dish i know that Lightlife ground round has a serious following, same with Boca crumbles. Actually TVP is probably your best bet for something where the dish itself is very flavorful, that’s really high protein (and stupid cheap) and easy to work with- just doesn’t taste like much on its own
I have omni friends who love the Beyond sausages, I’m not interested since I’m sure they are too meat like for me
My almost 14yo has never been a big meat eater, and decided a few months ago to give it up altogether. She likes the Beyond Burger patties and the taco crumbles. I’ve tried them and they are similar to meat texture wise but don’t taste like it. When we make burgers, she’ll make herself a BB on the stove.
If you have a Whole Foods nearby that makes burgers and sandwiches, they offer the BB patty as a meat substitute on any of their burgers. That’s where she tried it for the first time.
The NYT weighs in on the taste of alternative burgers:
I could see myself trying any one of these once, just to say I did.
I’m merely a lurker on this thread but I have one comment… Please be careful about leaning too heavily on Wikipedia for scientific information. As a scientist myself, I’ll use Wikipedia just to define an acronym or find out what a new-to-me protein or chemical compound is, etc. Most folks won’t spend the time going through the bibliography at the end. Better to use a more primary source, such as American College of Cardiology, for current accurate information. 
I would read that article with a grain of salt (I couldn’t resist!)… It’s from 2013 (which is forever ago in medical/scientific context) and the author has also had financial relationships with Big Pharma which are disclosed at the end.
Peer reviewed.
I don’t have statistics off the top of my head, but the term peer reviewed is abused. There have been a number of retracted articles that were published in “peer reviewed journals.”
OK I’ve said my two cents. Back to reality. And the food!
Good point.
Since I can edit Wikipedia, I don’t consider it an expert resource 
Found this old thread while researching the latest vege meats. Vegetarian friends make a vege protein source desirable so we tried beyond burger and found it acceptable–heavy “processed food” seasoning seemed necessary for the pea protein. What I didn’t care for was the gummy residue on the grill and cast iron pans, I’m assuming from the canola oil. Cleaning was a chore.
I have nothing against Beyond Meat or Impossible Meat or whatever alternative meats are out there.
But I just have to say, I cooked up some Beyond Meat ground beef for a houseguest a while back and the texture of that thing reminded of stir frying plastic Play-Doh.
To say it was odd, would be to do an injustice to all things odd.
To each their own obviously.
Just sharing my experiences.
