Meat's Expanding Its Horizons, Giving The Livestock Industry Pause

The U.S. meat industry is gigantic, with roughly $200 billion a year in sales and growing. But the industry faces emerging threats on two fronts: plant-based meat substitutes and actual meat grown in labs.
Plant-based meat substitutes are a lot more, well, meaty than they used to be. They sear on the grill and even "bleed." They look, taste and feel in the mouth a lot like meat.

Savannah Blevin, a server at Charlie Hooper's, an old-school bar and grill in Kansas City, Missouri, said the vegetarian Impossible Burgers on the menu are even popular with the meat-eating crowd.

"I had a vegetarian actually turn it away, because it reminded them so much of meat, they sent it back," said Blevins, adding, "It's delicious."