How TikTok is Influencing the Food Industry + Beyond Meat and PepsiCo Launch Plant-Based Jerky

Though it’s easy to pass off TikTok as just another video sharing platform, it’s clear that there’s more to the story when it comes to the food industry. In this episode of the Xtalks Food Podcast, Sydney talks about TikTok’s influence on the food industry, from viral recipe videos to restaurant hacks. She explains how food and beverage brands can partner with content creators and engage in conversations on the app to maintain a social media presence. The team wonders whether branded content could get lost among the hundreds of billions of views on food videos, but posits that food and beverage companies should invest in a savvy social media team.

Also, in this episode, Sydney discusses the newest product from a joint venture between Beyond Meat and PepsiCo: a plant-based jerky. The venture, called the Planet Partnership, aims “to develop, produce and market innovative snack and beverage products made from plant-based protein.” Like meat-based jerky, Beyond Meat said its plant-based jerky is marinated and slow roasted. The difference, however, is the ingredients, with peas and mung beans at the top of the ingredient list. The team commends the strategic partnership between the two food and beverage giants but wonders how Beyond Meat Jerky will fare among other jerky alternatives.