The beginning of January marked the release of the limited-edition Beyond Meatball subs at Subway locations all across Canada. This sub is offered as a traditional Beyond Meatball sub and a marinara variant, both focused on offering customers a new plant-based meat alternative.
The Beyond Meatball is a co-developed product by Subway and Beyond Meat. These faux-meatballs are made up of a plant-based protein blend derived from peas, brown rice, mung beans, and Subway’s own breadcrumb mix to give sub-lovers a new choice of protein. For those especially health-conscious diners, the Subway website confirms that both renditions of the Beyond Meatball sub have some of the highest amounts of protein on their menu, despite being similar in price to other subs.
The Beyond Meat company has been a pioneer in creating new vegan protein options and are responsible for meat substitutes that have been incorporated into a growing number of franchise menus. The plant-based protein trend began when A&W began offering their Beyond Meat burgers, serving as the first national burger chain to do so. From there Beyond Meat products have expanded to White Spot, Tim Hortons, Carl’s Jr., 7-Eleven, and now Subway. Their meat alternatives mix proteins with fats, minerals, and flavours — including beet juice extract for that reddish hue — to create a product line that boasts beef crumble, sausage, ground beef, and burger substitutes.
Beyond Meat advertises that their products can address human health issues, have a positive impact on climate change, result in improved animal welfare, and address global resource constraints. But beyond appealing to non-meat eaters and those wary of the environmental impacts of the meat industry, imitation meat also appeals to those whose religion limits what meat they can consume and when. The faux-meat options are kosher for those who are Jewish and appropriate for those that are Catholic to consume during Lent. Meat alternatives are also expanding to become halal-certified for those of Islamic belief, starting with the Impossible Burger.
Upon a personal taste test of the default builds, the Beyond Meatball sub and its marinara counterpart pass with flying colours. The flavour profile of the Beyond Meatball itself is savoury with a spiced-meat taste that isn’t overpowering, and its texture is convincing enough to pass as meat except that it’s slightly softer and spongier than ground beef. Inside of a sub though, which is often a wonderful amalgamation of textures and flavours, the Beyond Meatballs are delicious. Although the marinara version has the more intense flavour due to the tomato sauce, the traditional Beyond Meatball sub is still a solid contender if it’s paired with one’s favourite sauce.
Although it’s only a limited edition, the Beyond Meatball subs fill a gap at Subway that most don’t realize exists. While advertising itself as a healthier alternative to fast food, Subway is unfortunately flooded with a selection of processed meats, which were classified as carcinogenic by the World Health Organization in 2015. In fact, they were classified as Group 1, shared by asbestos and tobacco smoking, denoting the strength of scientific evidence pointing to them being a carcinogenic agent. Having Beyond Meatballs in their lineup allows Subway to stick to their premise of healthier fast food by offering a rich, meat-like flavour without any of the aforementioned negative health side effects.
Consumer demand seems to be dying down for these tasty vegan protein options, indicated by Tim Hortons phasing them out of their menus and the slowing sales of the Impossible Whopper at U.S. Burger King locations. But despite how individual companies are doing, imitation and lab-grown meats are being declared the future of meat with a growing number of companies cropping up focused on their development. In the coming years it could prove to be more than just a dietary fad, so don’t be shy about going out and seeing what all the fuss is about.
Image: Chandy Dancey
Chandy is a biology major/chemistry minor who's been a staff writer, Arts editor, and Managing Editor at The Cascade. She began writing in elementary school when she produced Tamagotchi fanfiction to show her peers at school -- she now lives in fear that this may have been her creative peak.
