Fake meat good, fake news bad

BEYOND Meat makes cows happy and cardiologists sad. Its Beyond Burger uses no meat and has no cholesterol, and contains less fat, fewer calories and more protein than a typical burger.

Yet, in taste tests around the world, diners are astonished to discover that the plant-based sandwich offering is virtually indistinguishable - in flavour, texture and appearance - from the beef-based fare that they are familiar with.

The promise of this new-fangled product is reflected in the company's recent initial public offering (IPO), which stunned market-watchers when its stock price almost tripled from US$25 to a high of US$72 on the first trading day - enough to make the cow jump over the moon.