Is plant-based 'meat' healthy? Whole Foods CEO says no

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey is questioning the health benefits of plant-based "meat" because, he says, they're made with "highly-processed" ingredients.

"The who are capturing the imagination of people--and I'm not going to name these brands because I'm afraid I will be associated with the critique of it," said Mackey during an interview posted at CNBC.com, "but some of these that are extremely popular now that are taking the world by storm, if you look at the ingredients, they are super, highly-processed foods."

READ: Younger consumers are fuelling meatless mania (Survey)

The article looks at the financial health of the biggest players in the meatless market--Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods--and also lists the ingredients in each brand's "beef" patties.

READ: With sales tumbling, Whole Foods CEO introduces new diet book

Mackey, who has been a vegan for more than two decades, said plant-based meat could be used to wean people off regular meat and retrain palates to enjoy foods that aren't processed.

Read the full article here.