Hormel, the corporation behind Spam and other processed meat delicacies, has announced plans to move forward with a new line of meat-based textured vegetable food products. The new products are targeted at a growing segment of consumers who like the idea of eating vegetables but can’t or won’t find a way to fit them into their diet. Examples from the new product line include “pork-oli,” “tunasparagus” and “New York strip steak, cooked medium-rarrots.”
While many are excited by the new animal-based plant substitutes, some consumers have reservations. “If I wanted to eat vegetables, I’d just eat vegetables. I mean, I’m a carnivore for a reason,” noted Wayne Hosselhaus, meat-lover. He continued, “I guess if you eat a meat-only diet for ethical or environmental reasons, it makes sense. But it still creeps me out a little.”
The FDA warns that the new Hormel “meat veggies” are not, nutritionally speaking, a replacement for real vegetables. However, the organization hopes that the new product line will “get kids excited” about eating healthy and encourages parents to train their kids on the fake vegetables and to slip some real ones in when they aren’t looking.
