When Climate Change and Protein Meat

 

I’m sure you’ve heard of that joke where someone wrote Meat is Murder on a wall and someone else crossed out Murder and wrote Tasty instead. This double act of vandalism serves as an example of why we are having such issues solving our ever growing meat crisis. The two sides have what can be seen as valid points but because they are so antithetical it seems like they will never be able to come to a common ground.

The reality is if we want to make real change we have to have as many people on board as possible. Obviously as long as the taste element is so strong, bringing back warm memories and improving our mood, it’s going to be hard to coerce humanity to go veg.

The obvious answer of course is to find ways to bring the pleasurable taste connection and the known benefits to the alternatives. But can we? Let’s examine that.

Protein. A vital component to any diet and one of our most essential nutrients. Meat’s supporters love to claim that its benefits are limited to the product of flesh itself.

This is why one of the major arguments vegetarians tend to have to tolerate is “Where are you going to get your protein?”

Great new innovators are stepping up to answer the question.

First, of course, we have to look at the company that is probably the biggest in the news right now: Beyond Meat. Calling itself “the Future of Protein” the company has developed a way to create a line of faux meat products from plant proteins.

Originally launched in A&W Restaurants and now available in several restaurants and grocery stores across the globe this company may be our best bet to win over the meat lovers.

Not only that but it lays out the reasons for the need to change very convincingly. Clearly laying out that its product uses less water, less land, less energy and produces less greenhouse gas Beyond Meat knows it is our best option for the future. (Plus no GMOs.)

This is what we need for the continuation of our species and the planet: Smarter and greener protein options.

Plants are not the only way to create the next version of meat and luckily we are discovering these other options.

Imagine: You create meat by taking the base cells from an animal and then growing the product in a lab. This technology has incredible potential and this is why multiple companies are looking to explore this route.

Memphis Meats, for example, uses Crispr technology to create animal tissue in a lab. Growing the meat in a lab instead of raising it in factory farm conditions. This is a brilliant way to sidestep meat’s major drawbacks while giving meat eaters what they love.

Although this product is still in development it is definitely one to watch.

BlueNalu works in a similar vein, using what it calls “cellular aquaculture” to develop the next level of seafood.

Considering the dim prognosis coming out of the UN food and agricultural organization – 70 percent of the planet’s fish population is fully used, overused or in crisis – we need a modern solution if we want to continue enjoying food from the sea.

In truth this cell-based meat may prove to a key ally in our quest to achieve SDG 14 (Life Below Water) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).

Finally, of course, we have the power found in seeds and nuts. This is the angle being explored by companies seeking to recreate the pork experience in a way that doesn’t involve the actual use of pigs.

Moving Mountains is one of the big players in this game and is working on a new hot dog that aims to completely recreate the hot dog, replacing the meat with sunflower seeds yet retaining the look, taste and texture of pork hot dogs.

Considering sunflower seeds contain a high amount of protein and good fats, this may be one of the best ways to enjoy your summer barbecue and get your protein without harming animals.

Keep your eye out for the expansion of this line, as it may be the one that will win over the die-hard meat lovers. Barbecue season is so important to anyone who loves the perks of the warmer seasons and making it so we don’t lose hot dogs in our quest to limit our climate footprint is an amazing step.

Meat has long been a mainstay in our diets and has a solid hold on many people’s emotional and psychological well-being. So many people, if asked, would describe themselves as “a meat and potatoes type of guy.”

If you are one of these types, isn’t it great to find out that you can get the best aspects of meat while removing the damaging effects of animal agriculture? You don’t have to cut out that which you love, you just have to let it undergo a metamorphosis and come out as a vastly improved element.

That, my friends, is the sweet taste of success.