In the past decade, there has been a continuous rise in interest in plant-based food. For instance, 600,000 people who embrace the vegan lifestyle in the United Kingdom alone. Veganism was earlier shunned and labeled as a fad but nowadays, with the effects of climate change being felt and documentaries like Cowspiracy and What About Health being shown left and right, more and more people subscribe to it and chose it as a healthier alternative.
CONTINUOUS RISE FOR THE DEMAND OF VEGAN FOOD
Back in 2018, it was recorded that the demand for meat-less foods is at unprecedented levels. The United Kingdom, for instance, has produced more vegan products than any other nation and by 2019, the amount of Brits who lessened their meat intake doubled.
Scientists have long pointed out that the overconsumption of meat -- especially by Western countries -- is one of the contributors to global warming. Large farms that hold livestock contribute an approximate of 14.5% in greenhouse gas emissions and 70% of global deforestation.
According to the EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, and Health, a substantial dietary shift must occur by 2050. There should be an increase in plant-based diet and consumption of fruits, vegetables, and legume will have to double around the world as well as a decrease in the consumption of sugary foods and red meat by 50%. In an article written in the Guardian, Bruce Friedrich of the Good Food Institute explained that the current methods of farming animals -- growing crops to produce feeds and then harvest them for livestock to eat, and then harvest the livestock -- is shockingly inefficient. He says that by 2050 meat-eating will be a thing of the past and plant-based meat will be the alternative.
While plant-based meat is already available with brands such as The Impossible Burger and the Beyond Burger, it is not widespread yet. According to Friedrich, developing more plant-based meat products for consumers will be the solution to this problem. According to Food Foundation executive director Anna Taylor, "well have plant-based meat that doesn't exist yet, whether it's pork chops, steaks, tuna, or salmon." She says that these plant-based substitutes will eventually find their way in the foods people commonly eat.
INTRODUCTION OF THE LAB-GROWN MEAT
Food scientists started developing cultivated meat from animal cells to minimize the establishment of large-scale livestock farms. These cultivated meats are not yet available in the market but at least 40 private companies are working on it: in the United Kingdom, students at the University of Bath are trying to grow bacon on blades of grass. It will be a challenge, however, to convince people to fully consume these lab-grown meats.
Despite the challenge, Friedrich is optimistic about reaching the reduced meat-eating goal by 2050. Of course, meat-eating is not entirely phased out. "There will be some heritage breed farms and slaughterhouses where the animals are treated well but it will be a limited market," Friedrich explained.
However, there are people concerned about its long-term effects. Professor Pete Smith of the University of Aberdeen says that lab-grown meets are some sort of a red herring. He argues that humans can get most of the protein from plant-based food already and explains that Western countries are already overconsuming protein. "We don't need to move to alternate protein sources -- if we cut in half the amount of protein we are already eating, we would be at healthier levels." He says.
