Here Comes the Fake Pork Era

First off, if this is the only Adweek newsletter you get each day (which is weird, but makes you my favorite), the big news you need to be following is the staggering snowball of brands boycotting Facebook over the platform's sluggish response to racism. I recommend catching up quickly by checking out (and bookmarking) Adweek's frequently updated tracker of the brands joining in the boycott.

But since much of our coverage has been about that topic today—and we have a bonus podcast episode coming in the morning—I thought I'd give you a brief reprieve and talk about fake pork.

Why fake pork? Because all signs seem to be pointing to this being one of the biggest new food trends of 2020.

With faux burgers and related beef-esque products growing in leaps and bounds over recent years, I was curious to see which meat got the mainstream replacement treatment next. Chicken and seafood are certainly in the works, but sausage seems to be the easiest next step, given its popularity, flexibility and the fact it's already known for being processed.

Impossible is kicking off its faux sausage with a Yelp partnership aimed at boosting mom-and-pop diners across the country. The two brands partnered to identify what are supposedly the country's 30 best diners, then donated free product (and publicity) to each.

Check out my colleague T.L. Stanley's writeup to learn more about both the promotion and the trend it's highlighting.

What's your current stance on faux-meat products? Let me know at the email below or at @Griner on Twitter. I stopped eating beef about a year ago and have been eating the fake burgers pretty often. I'm definitely willing to give fake sausage a shot, but sadly don't have any of the Top 30 diners nearby.

Road trip!

David Griner
Creative and Innovation Editor, Adweek
David.Griner@Adweek.com
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