Big meaties go veggo

The new kids on the block of plant-based meat are the big meat companies themselves. Meat alternatives are trending hard in America, filling supermarket shelves with meatless burgers, meatballs, and chicken nuggets. Who’s hungry!?

Where’s the beef? Not in your burger

Plant-based meats aren’t just for hippies, vegans, and vegetarians anymore. Quickly becoming a staple of the average person’s diet, even fast-food restaurants are coming to the table with animal-free Whoppers. And no one is asking, ‘Where’s the beef?’ because of the growing demand for foods that are potentially better for you and leave less of a footprint on the planet. Beyond Meat (BYND) and Impossible Foods have dominated the rather new market for veggie food that looks and taste like meat, but they’ve got competition, and it’s fierce. Competition isn’t stopping Beyond Meat (BYND) however, as their post-IPO gains continue to grow, breaking the $US200-a-share threshold. Want fries with that?

Veggies go incogmeato

The result of this uptake of alternative meats and an increase in competition is that at supermarkets across the USA, you can now find plant-based beef and chicken sold right next to packaged meat products. From Smithfield to Nestle, Tyson (TSN) to Perdue, executives are paying attention to the shift in what people want to consume. These companies are now creating lines of soy-based burgers, meatballs and sausages, plant-based ground meat, fishless fish, and even blended options that are part-meat, part-plant hybrids. Supporters of meatless alternatives are hailing these new products as a sign that plant-based meat has gained mainstream acceptance. Whether or not these large meat producers are in it for the ethics or the dollar bills, more plant-based alternatives are good for the cows and chickens, your colon, the planet, and possibly your portfolio. Hungry for meatless shares? Check out Beyond Meat (BYND), Darling Ingredients (DAR) and Intrexon (XON) listed on Hatch.

Fisher goes belly up for sexism

Don’t you love a good story of karmic comeuppance? Here’s a doozy: three clients have fired billionaire Ken Fisher's money management firm since his below the belt and sexist remarks at an industry conference on October 8. He stands to lose a total of $900 million in client assets and counting.

Giving a bad name to billionaires

The City of Boston’s retirement board is the latest to end its relationship with Fisher Investments, resulting in a loss for Fisher of $253 million. But they’re not the only ones. The State of Michigan Retirement Systems was the first to drop Fisher following his offensive remarks. How bad was it? Offensive enough for them to pull $600 million from the fund. Fisher compared gaining client trust to, um, “trying to get into a girl’s pants.” Verbatim. Philly wasn’t impressed with these sexist comments either and pulled out $50 million to prove that point. Fisher, who writes for Forbes, eventually apologised. He now realises that this kind of language has no place in his company or the industry as a whole. Well, Fisher, not good enough. This kind of language has no place anywhere, and clients agree.

How low can you go?

It’s not just cities who don’t want to be tainted by doing business with Fisher’s brand. Plenty of other clients representing more than $1 billion in assets managed by Fisher Investments have come forward to say they condemn Fisher's comments and will be reviewing their relationships. Fidelity Investments has a cool $500 million sitting with Fisher, for now, that is. The Los Angeles Fire and Police Pension System and Florida’s Pension System, with their respective $500 million and $175 million with Fisher are also reconsidering doing business with him. We’re sure many more will be coming forward with the same sentiments shortly, and we don’t blame them.

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