The Food of the Future? Vegetarian meats
A lot of talk lately has been about animal meat shortages. I had to wonder if this will be the ushering in of plant based meat as the food of the future. I am sure we have all heard of veggie burgers, but this new plant based meat is nothing like the previous “meats”.
As I was researching this new “meat”, I found that there are lot of reasons why this will more than likely become the food of the future. The reasons I found most interesting ranged from the ingredients that are used now to health benefits over red meats. As a side note, I found during my research that the popularity of the meat is growing every year. I guess I am not really shocked since there have been such great improvements in how this product is produced.
Let me run down the top 9 reasons I found about why this will be the food of the future.
- Consumer preference: Believe it or not, the majority of people who eat vegetarian meats are not vegans or vegetarians. They are people like me who are searching for some alternatives to animal meats. I do know both vegans and vegetarians who eat the vegetarian meats and they seem to be impressed with the taste and quality. “Changing consumer preferences and food safety concerns amid the coronavirus pandemic are contributing to a shift toward plant-based food options, according to alternative meat makers in Asia. “. (1) And I think that preference is taking hold here in the United States.
- There have been major breakthroughs in the ingredients: “After years of experimentation, brands have developed convincing meat replacements with plant ingredients like soybean roots and pea protein” (2). In the past, veggie burgers were made from things like beans, especially soybeans and tofu, nuts, grains, seeds or fungi such as mushrooms. I recall a time when I tried to make my own veggie burger. Let’s just say that it was not a success and I never tried it again. In fact, it turned me off of plant based meats… that is until now. When I saw plant-based meats in the grocery store, I decided that I would try it out. I was planning on cooking out that weekend so I figured, why not. My expectations were not very high for the taste or quality. Remember, I am thinking of the vegetarian meats of the past. Believe me when I say… the ingredients that are used today and the way they are combined will make you go back for seconds.
- Major investments by meat producers: I found it really interesting that some major animal meat companies have started producing plant based meats. Companies like Tyson, Smithfield, Perdue and Hormel are among some of these. Now that is a very positive and encouraging sign that plant-based meats are here to stay. If these big companies didn’t think this was a good investment, you better believe that they wouldn’t give it a second thought.
- Recognition in popular restaurants: I am guessing you have seen the Impossible Burger commercial that Burger King had started about a year ago.With recognition from a national fast food chain like Burger King, I am sure that influenced and continues to influence people to go out and give the plant based meat a try. I have heard that other major chains will be experimenting with these meat alternatives as well, if they have not already. In fact, just the other day I saw an ad for Del Taco and their Beyond Meat burrito. When I saw this, I decided to see what they had to say about it on their site. “With a growing demand for vegan and vegetarian options among our guests, we saw an opportunity within the space to partner with Beyond Meat to develop a proprietary blend of seasoned, 100 percent plant-based meat,” said John Cappasola, President and Chief Executive Officer of Del Taco. “After receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from fans during our pilot test in Los Angeles, it only made sense to introduce our Beyond Tacos to a larger SoCal community”. I will admit, that I have not tried it yet, but it is on my list of things to try. When I do, I will let you know what my thoughts are.
- Meat industry and economies of scale: First of all, you may wonder what economies of scale are. Let me define this according to www.investopedia.com “Economies of scale are cost advantages reaped by companies when production becomes efficient. Companies can achieve economies of scale by increasing production and lowering costs. This happens because costs are spread over a larger number of goods. Costs can be both fixed and variable”. With that said, even though the US agricultural system is really designed in a way to support the animal meat industry, we are seeing now how this industry is slowly converting to supporting the plant based meat industry. Some of the crops that are grown to feed animals that are then slaughtered for food are now going to produce these plant based alternatives. This helps to lower their costs by using the industry more efficiently.
- Product placement: This is a BIG one. You know that marketing sells. When you walk in a grocery store and you see the end cap, the products that are featured serve a purpose. We all pass by the end caps in the store. I, for one, stop many times because something on them caught my eye. There are times when I will grab and item from the display and purchase it. The end cap has done its job. Have you noticed how children’s cereals are on the lower shelves? Why? Yep, they are at the eye level of kids. There is a method to their madness. Now think about this. When you go to the store and you are in the meat section, what else do you see besides the animal products? Bingo! Plant based meat products. This strategy is used to increase the sales of these products. And it works! I go back to the first time I bought plant based meats. I wasn’t looking for it. Vegetarian meats were not even on my list. But, because they were placed close to animal meat, they caught my eye. And they looked a lot like animal meat. If they had looked like veggie burgers of old, I would not have even tried them. So product placement sells.
- Health: I am fiercely focused on health. My whole blog revolves around a healthy lifestyle. There are some factors like heredity that you can’t control that may contribute to some health issues, but there are many that you can control. More and more we are hearing that research has linked the consumption of red meat to problems such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. If I can swap some of my meat proteins and meals for plant based proteins and help lower my risk for some of these diseases, I am going to do that. To me, it is well worth it.
- Environment: A lot of focus nowadays in on protecting our environment. Let’s start with the obvious. We have all heard it, cow’s gas hurts the atmosphere. Is that true? According to www.theguardian.com, “cows are a type of ruminant – that is, they have four stomachs. This means a lot of methane, one of the gases that causes the worst warming. One cow can produce up to 200 kg of methane a year. Most of it is released as burps, but some certainly escapes out of the rear end, too! Because humans eat so much beef and milk, there are an awful lot of cows in the world, and their burping and farting causes a sizable contribution to our greenhouse gas emissions, making up nearly a third of all emissions from agriculture, by some estimates”. By lowering the amount of cattle that is bred and produced, we can help save our planet. There are also advantages to growing plants since they help with the atmosphere as well.
- World hunger: This leads me to the last discussion point. Following along the lines of climate change, when we reduce the number of cattle that would be necessary to produce one pound of meat and replace that same area with plants, we reduce the carbon footprint. We help the air to become cleaner and we are able to provide more affordable grains and food to people. There would be more opportunity for people to increase their agricultural output around the world.
When I looked at all of these factors put together, it only stands to reason that plant based meats are the food of the future. Remember, this doesn’t mean that you have to become vegan or even vegetarian to add vegetarian meats to your weekly menu. Just think of this as another great source of protein that has the potential to be better for your health.
What are your thoughts? Do you think I am way out in left field? I would love to hear from you… strike up a conversation. Leave me a comment and let’s “talk”.
Please follow and like us:
