Gardein Faux Meats - Vegans Love Them But Can They Really Fool Omnis?

March 3rd, 2008 · 7 Comments

Jane and I have tried the Vegan Chicken Sonoma Salad and Vegan Chicken Curry Salad from Whole Foods. The vegan chicken is actually Gardein Chicken, produced by Garden Protein International (thanks for pointing us in that direction Stephanie). We were quite impressed with the taste and texture of the vegan chicken and commented to each other that we thought meat-eaters would find this product equally palatable.

However, it looks like we may have been wrong about that. The National Post, a Canadian publication, conducted an informal, blind taste-test with four of their employees. The employees were fed Caesar Chicken Salad. One version was prepared using President’s Choice Gardein Chicken. The second version was prepared with Lilydale Seasoned Sliced Chicken Breasts (real chicken). In all four instances, the employees seemed to have an issue with the Gardein product. Only one of the panelists liked it, but still complained about the “greyness” of the product.

My favorite comment:

Laura I feel like I put my life on the line by ingesting the grey matter that was the “chicken” of Salad No. 1. Is this what you make all the interns do?

Isn’t that what interns are for?

Of course, this is a miniscule, and statistically insignificant survey. But it does make me wonder… Do Jane and I like these products because we’ve forgotten how “real” meat tastes? Perhaps. Regardless, we know we like the product and that’s all that matters to us! Well, that and the fact that others like it enough that it continues to sell.

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7 responses so far ↓

1 Chris Moran // Mar 3, 2008 at

I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you.

Chris Moran
2 Sat // Mar 3, 2008 at

Ah, you are having the same internal dialogue that all veg*ns do

My wife, who is omni, likes the Morningstar Farm strips (and the new Trader Joes knockoff) because they have a good “texture” to them. She likes the taste fairly well although i don’t think they fool her into thinking it is real meat. In general, I think the chicken stuff is easier to imitate since there is the “well, it tastes like chicken” meme that has been around forever.

Personally, I would like to move away from these imitation meats but they are quick and they at least remind you of the pre-veg days when everything was so “easy.”
3 Lane // Mar 4, 2008 at

Hi Sat. Yes, we’d like to move away from packaged, pre-processed foods… but in reality, it isn’t going to happen. We like/need/want the convenience. So we keep looking for things that are the healthier/better alternatives.
I loved the “tastes like chicken” comment… How true!
4 Lane // Mar 7, 2008 at

Thanks Chris, we hope you enjoy our blog. Lane & Jane
5 Erik Mallinson // Apr 16, 2008 at

Thank you for helping me discover who/what/how that chicken is made. I am dismayed that it’s only sold wholesale right now. Boo Gardein, boo.
6 Lane // Apr 16, 2008 at

Hi Erik,
You could always write the company.
In the meantime, if you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, they sell TJs Chicken-less Strips, which are a pretty good substitute (if not the same product).
Trader Joe’s tends to do a lot of private branding and I haven’t investigated the origin of the product.
7 Erik Mallinson // Apr 16, 2008 at

We do! Thanks for the tip.