ABP have launched a new range of DC Superhero-themed meat products to target young people, who are increasingly turning away from animal-based products.
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… some sort of superhero-shaped beef product?
With more and more people trying veganism, meat producers are getting desperate. This week, ABP, which describes itself as “one of Europe’s leading food processors,” introduced frozen burgers and sausages branded with Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. But even superheroes can’t save the dying meat industry. Not that they’d want to!
This is a first for the fresh and frozen meat categories, said Darren Jones, Commercial Director of ABP UK, and a significant step in helping create excitement for, and, build interest in meat products for younger consumers.
Yes, meat producers are worried, because younger consumers are less interested in meat products. A 2016 study by The Vegan Society showed us veganism is growing at super-speed. In the UK, there are already over 540,000 vegans, around 1.68m vegetarians/vegans, and 28% of people say they’re eating less meat.
These DC superhero-branded meat products (such as “cheese and ketchup sausages” with Wonder Woman on the package) are showing up now in stores across the UK. But what do the superheroes have to say about it?
It turns out that, despite what this corporate meat marketing suggests, Wonder Woman and Superman are vegetarians. In their case, super-strength is coupled with super-kindness.
Comic book writer Greg Rucka is clear that Wonder Woman is a vegetarian. He writes in Wonder Woman, “Diana doesn’t eat meat. Would you if animals could talk to you?”
If Superman were real, he’d be more likely to lend his image to veggie burgers. In Superman: Birthright, Superman’s origin story by Mark Waid, Superman makes the kind decision to stop eating animals because he has the super-ability to see colourful halos around animals that quickly fade away when an animal dies.
Batman’s sidekick Robin declares he’s a vegetarian as well, after a mission in a slaughterhouse, in BATMAN INCORPORATED Vol. 2 #1, by Grant Morrison.
If we’re going to put licensed characters on foods, shouldn’t we at least have those foods be healthy? Why not be strong to the finish with Popeye Spinach?
PAGE UPDATED JUNE 2018
