Vegan Chicken Review
I tried four different brands of vegan “chicken” and am going to share my findings of each brand’s taste, cost and any sustainability efforts done by the companies. This is for anyone who is a vegan, always on the go or if you’re wanting to transition into/try out vegan food!

Why does it matter?

Here are a few analogies to showcase just how much a non meat diet can impact the environment in a positive way: “It takes approximately 1,847 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of beef” and “518 gallons for one pound of chicken”, and by going meatless just one day per week, you would decrease your meat consumption by nearly 15 percent. “If every American had one meat-free meal per week, it would be the equivalent of taking over 5 million cars off our roads annually.

Gardien : Seven Grain Crispy Tenders

Taste 8/10

These tenders were crispy with breading on the outside and had a nice “chicken texture” on the inside. The flavor was grainy due to the seven grain breading and they were nice stand alone but could benefit from some sort of dip as they were a little dry.

Cost $00.61 an ounce at $5.49 for 9 ounces, most expensive.

Sustainability

According to the Gardien website, “if you eat one less burger per week, it is like taking your car off the road for 320 miles.” They promote “meatless Mondays” as a way to help the environment and your health from things such as heart disease and cancer. They even suggest you get your protein from things other than their products like tofu or beans. Gardien is owned and produced by Conagra brands which also owns and produces Slim Jim and Duke’s Smoked Meats, which gives the impression that the brand is not concerned about reducing meat consumption but more so making money.

Alpha : Sizzlin’ Spicy Chik’n Nuggets

Taste 6.5/10

These nuggets were not crispy on the outside and mushy on the inside. The taste was good, I opted for the spicy version so it was full of flavor, but I’m a big texture person so the mushiness kind of ruined it for me.

Cost $00.48 an ounce at $4.86 for 10 ounces

Sustainability

Alpha Foods states that eating less meat leads to happy animals, planet and humans. “Eating plant-based food reduces harmful emissions and land destruction”. From my research they are a stand-alone brand and believe in cutting down meat consumption when you can and not putting a label on your diet.

Impossible : Chicken Nuggets

Taste 10/10

These nuggets were crispy on the outside and had a pull apart “chicken” texture on the inside. They were great alone and wouldn’t need anything added, they tasted a lot like chicken and smelled like it too which was surprising. Overall, they reminded me of Dino Nuggets and were the most realistic to chicken with the best taste.

Cost $00.48 at $6.48 for 13.5 ounces

Sustainability

“Welcome to the future of sustainable food” says impossible foods, they state that the most effective way to reduce your environmental footprint is by cutting meat, fish, and dairy out of your diet. Their website offers a variety of information on topics like climate change, environmental footprint and impact reports documenting their progress towards a more sustainable food system.

Morning Star : Veggie Buffalo Wings

Taste 7/10

These wings were crispy on the outside but mushy on the inside. The taste was slightly artificial but it had a good flavor that was its own thing, I wouldn’t compare it to a chicken flavor exactly.

Cost $00.39 an ounce at $4.18 for 10.5 ounces, least expensive.

Sustainability

MorningStar Farms are dedicated to more vegan possibilities, a better world and a greener world. They don’t provide any information on their website concerning statistics or numbers related to their foods in terms of conserving water/carbon and land. They claim to have no “all-or-nothing activism”, and don’t seem to be concerned about any activism within the plant based community at all. They are owned by Kelloggs which owns many non plant-based brands such as Cheez Its.

Final Thoughts

Eating vegan/cutting out meat from your diet can be as easy or complicated as you make it. There are accessible ways to dive into good tasting vegan food available right at your local grocery store. The website Living my Vegan Life is a great resource that lists all of the vegan frozen food brands sold in grocery stores, where to buy them, what they sell and a quick summary of the brand itself.

-Posted by Sela