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Leonardo DiCaprio just invested in the Bill Gates-backed veggie burger that 'bleeds' like beef — here's how it tastes

The Oscar-winning actor and environmentalist says he's an investor in Beyond Meat, a plant-based food startup aiming to disrupt the $48 trillion meat industry.

  • Actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio announced that he is investing in the plant-based food startup Beyond Meat.
  • In a taste test of the Beyond Burger, it didn't fool me for beef, but it is a tasty vegetarian option that mimics the look and texture of a traditional patty.
  • Beyond Meat is one of several plant-based food companies aiming to disrupt the $48 billion meat industry by creating more eco-friendly meat alternatives.

When Beyond Meat, a company that makes plant-based alternatives to animal proteins, claimed it inventeda vegetarian burger that tastes like beef, it sounded too good to be true.

But the Beyond Burger has grown in popularity since it was first sold at a Whole Foods in Boulder, Colorado last year. Since then, the product has become available in 350 more Whole Foods locations,

Each package of Beyond Burgers comes with two four-ounce patties. It's usually sold for $5.99 — almosttwice the priceof beef per ounce.

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When I tried the burger last year, the patties looked exactly like raw beef, but they're made mainly from pea protein, yeast extract, and coconut oil. They contain beet juice, which gives them a reddish color.

According to the nutrition label on the back, the Beyond Burger has more protein, sodium, and calories than a normal burger.

When I cooked my first patty, I threw it on a small skillet without oil. Unlike most vegetarian burgers I've tried, the Beyond Burger sizzled like meat. It didn't smell like beef, but more like a vegetable I couldn't identify. Peas, perhaps?

About three minutes later, I flipped the patty over, and it was slightly browned.

After waiting about three more minutes, the burger was done. It generated a lot of liquid on the spatula, although it didn't really look like normal beef burger juices.

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After I added lettuce, tomato, and ketchup, I took a bite. In a blind taste test, it definitely wouldn't fool me as beef, but its texture was shockingly close, and it was even pink in the middle. To make the patty taste more like a normal burger, next time I would use steak seasoning.

Inside, bits of veggies mimicked the texture of ground beef. Overall, it was tasty and juicy.

Beyond Meat sells other plant-based burgers, but the Beyond Burger is the first that's not sold in the frozen food aisle. It sits next to real refrigerated beefat Whole Foods.

Beyond Meat aims to shake up the$48 trillion global meat industry by creating palatable alternatives. Since the Beyond Burger somewhat closely mimics a traditional burger, it may represent a step towards creating a more environmentally friendly patty.

Meat production can be harsh on the planet. Traditional livestock farming accounts for an estimated 18% of global greenhouse emissions, drains 70% of the world's water, and uses47,000 square milesof land every year.

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