Fitt Insider's False Start issue is about food, but the mechanic is retention. Per SPINS, retail sales of alt-meat and seafood dropped 10% in 2025. Circana has plant-based milks down 5% for three straight years. Meanwhile 98% of Americans still buy meat for daily meals, and meat sales hit a record $112B. Milk consumption rebounded. Whey is short because protein demand is not.

People did not abandon health. They abandoned products that asked them to believe a substitute.

The same pattern sits on the gym floor

A membership is a substitute for a habit until the habit shows up. When it does not, the member cancels. Beyond dropped “Meat” from its name and launched a protein-and-fiber drink. Impossible partnered with EQUII. Huel and Kate Farms, the issue notes, sold plant protein when it was affordable, tasty, and simple. Complexity died. Clarity survived.

News & Notes also flags HYROX getting an Amazon bet and an Anytime Fitness franchisee — Omega Fitness Holdings — buying 20 locations. Distribution is easy to buy. Attendance is not.

Sell the behavior you can verify

Cadoo does not ask a member to trust a new identity. It asks them to finish a game: stake with friends, camera-counted reps, steps from Apple Health or Google Health Connect, then a skinned clip. That is closer to meat than to a mock burger — it is the thing itself.

Operators who keep inventing a “new category of member” will keep watching those members leave. Operators who count the work will keep the ones who train.

Host the game

Host on cadoo.games/cyoc. See Cadoo for brands or email Tim@cadoo.io. Brand-location redeem is not live. Get fit. Inspire friends. Get paid.

Frequently asked questions

Why did plant-based meat stall?

This issue cites a 10% drop in alt-meat and seafood retail sales in 2025 while meat hit a record $112B. Shoppers kept protein and dropped the substitute story.

What is the gym version of that failure?

Selling a membership as a new identity without proof of training. Members stay when they can see they showed up.

How does Cadoo make that proof?

Camera-verified reps and form, plus device steps. Shareable skinned videos carry the brand when the member finishes.

Related guides

• why games beat discounts for member retention
• how Cadoo shareables work
• Cadoo for fitness brands
• Cadoo for gyms