As more people switch to a plant-based diet — whether because of health reasons, concerns for the environment and animal welfare, or personal preferences — meatless products have been gaining popularity in recent years. A study found that 95% of Canadians are familiar with plant-based meat alternatives, yet only 39% of them have tried such products.

To convince meat lovers that they don’t have to compromise on the taste when opting for such a plate, A&W Canada ran an experiment in which it put a meatless product to a taste test. The brand first partnered with Beyond Meat, which produces plant-based meat substitutes, for the Beyond Meat Burger in 2018. As consumers’ demand for chicken from QSR and for plant-based proteins grows, the two have joined forces again, introducing the Beyond Meat Nuggets to the Canadian market for a limited period of time.

The “Beyond Bait Experiment,” developed with the help of agency Rethink Canada, uses a scientific approach to convince flexitarians and skeptics that the plant-based nuggets “can satisfy the biggest meat lovers.” The procedure sees one of the world’s most notorious carnivores, a carnivorous plant, being fed Beyond Meat plant-based nuggets.

The brand placed Dionaea Muscipula plants in a closed set, where the test unfolded. The demonstration is visible through a short video, in which the background sound keeps the viewers uncertain about what may happen next. Images switch from the plants to a plate of nuggets and, shortly, the public discovers why the two have been put one next to the other: To prove whether the Venus flytraps would take a bite of the meatless nuggets or not.

The experiment uses a “cannibalistic-like approach” developed to “convince meat-lovers that the new vegan nuggets taste just like the real thing,” explained the company. “There’s no better sample group than a blind plant that only closes its mouth on meaty prey.”

Even though the video doesn’t show the plants’ process of devouring the snack — c’mon, it takes around 10 days to digest the food and reopen — it still offers a memorable show on how the Venus flytraps’ capture their prey in the trap. So, while we don’t know if they enjoyed their meal to the fullest, we can agree that the experiment is great in terms of creativity.

Credits:

Client: A&W Canada

Agency: Rethink Canada