A recent survey by aReportFoodPrint, a nonprofit organization, has stated that plant-based meat substitutes are unlikely to replace factory-farmed animal meat.
The demand for plant-based meats is increasing all over the globe. The Plant Based Foods Association’s and the Good Food Institute’s analysis found that the United States has the highest sales of plant-based products.In 2020, they will increase by 27 percentThe previous year. A study by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has shown that people are increasingly turning to plant-based products.has doubledThe last ten years have seen a drop in unemployment from 6.7 to 13.1 percentage. Analysts from Barclays predict that by 2030, they will be at 6.7 percent to 13.1 percent.ProjectThe global market for plant-based meats will surpass US$140 billion.
An important part of this growth comes from anIncreasein environmentally-conscious consumers, looking to heal the planet by cutting back on their meat consumption. Meat production, especially beefemits more thanDo it twiceThe carbon dioxide in plant-based foods.
Most [alternative meat products]Jerusha Klemperer, Director at FoodPrint, tells Food Tank that they can compare themselves to factory-farmed meat and their terrible environmental impact and offer them as an alternative.
FoodPrints report suggests that ultra-processed meats have a lower environmental impact then animal agriculture. A four-ounce Beyond Burger can be made with tenth of what it takes to make a four inch beef burger.
FoodPrints report says that meat alternatives are still the result of industrial agriculture, just like conventional meat and other highly processed foods.
This type of farming uses high amounts of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Klemperer states that these chemicals create a lot of greenhouse gases and throw natural nutrient cycles out balance.
Klemperer suggests that customers compare meat alternatives to other vegetarian proteins in order to make healthier and more sustainable choices. FoodPrint reports that a kilogram of Impossible Burger beef emits 3.5 times the greenhouse gases of a kilogram worth of tofu.
However, beans and legumes have smaller environmental footprints than meat and dairy products. They are also the best protein sources for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, and land use. These whole foods can offer a healthier way to avoid meat.
FoodPrints’ report also highlights another concern: alternative meat businesses. Large investments have been made in many of the companies that sell ultra-processed alternatives to meat. Impossible Foods has, for instance, raised nearly US$2 trillion from investors,Mirae Asset Global Investments Coatue,Temasek, XN.
FoodPrint argues that these investments are contingent on the expectation of profit, which is not a viable way of building a new food system.High. This report suggests that companies may try to replicate problems in the food system such as unsustainable sourcing of ingredients or poor labor conditions.
Klemperer told Food Tank that we would prefer people to trade their factory-farmed meat for whole, plant based foods and to eat more meat but better, regeneratively grown meat. But, she adds, In order for this to work there has to be a wholesale change to our system, with support of better livestock production: we won’t get there with individual choices alone.
The report concludes that the alternatives are not attracting meat-eaters but only changing the landscape for existing vegetarian options. These new meat alternatives are further complicating the problem they claim to solve by replacing healthier, lower-impact options such as beans, legumes, or traditional veggie burgers.
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