FOOD SCIENCE
Stop bashing alternative meats
Don’t be a hater…
So…I recently got on a little online debate about alternative and artificial meats with people who seem very skeptical of them. I just had to say my piece as they frankly had some absurd points. As a Food Scientist with a master’s degree I’d like to think I know a thing or two in this area, so I’ve created a little Q&A below for all the sceptics out there and some of the points they have been raising. I hope its helpful. There will also be a separate post of the top reasons why alternative meats will be one of the greatest upgrades in human civilisation. Ever.
Going forward, we are to expect a lot of critics of alternative meats, some of which I suspect will be paid for by the good old Food and Beverage industry lobby. A similar situation to the “impartial” coal and oil industry criticism on renewables, and the views of the tobacco industry on smoking before it was revealed that they actually knew about cancer for decades.
It’s all about to happen again, so let’s focus on facts, education, and most importantly, an open mind. The future of our planet literally depends on it.
So here we go:
What are we actually talking about?
There are two types of innovations in development:
Meats created from new protein such as insects or plants into new formulations that go far beyond just the veggie burger. So these are types of “meat alternatives”, as they are alternative sources of protein.
Actual meat, but produced through tissue culture. No animals are hurt. Muscle cells are literally grown and propagated in the lab. You could call this artificial meat.
Will it be safe to eat? isn’t it…artificial?
If it’s done right, it will be completely safe to eat. If in any case it is unsafe it will be because of preservatives, hormones, pesticides, bacteria, mercury and micro plastics, none of which are new issues, and which you are already eating in your “natural” burgers and seafood. If anything, the new food will be much safer as it will be “constructed” in ultra-controlled environments. This means it is much more likely to be safe and healthy than commercial “real” meat. It will undergo much, much more rigorous quality control.
Besides, everyone knows very well by now that natural, real red meats cause cancer. This is yet another reason to switch to alternative meats
But…aren’t we moving away from nature?
We moved away from nature many thousands of years ago, the minute we started planting wheat into the ground
The day we started rearing animals in captivity
The moment we started cooking our food with fire rather than eating it raw
As you see, “moving away from nature” is not necessarily bad. It is part of human civilisation and evolution. Alternative meats is the next step in our civilisation. Rather than scaling up animal husbandry, leading to CO2, Methane, water depletion and overuse of land to feed animals, we can create our own meats or other food.
If anything, this is about preserving nature, rather than moving away from it. The planet cannot support more meat production for the billions of humans that live on it. We’re running out of Planet unless we find smart ways to produce food, such as alternative and artificial meats.
We’re running out of Planet unless we find smart ways to produce food, such as alternative and artificial meats
But will they taste good?
If the first ones that have come out are any indication, then imagine what a couple of years of development will bring us. Alternative meats will be off the charts. And why wouldn’t they? We now know so much about the science of food, we might as well put it to use. As a young student training for my Food Science degree, I took courses in Food Chemistry, Food Processing, the science of flavours, ingredient interactions, and other physical properties of food that increase or decrease its palatability. Thanks to food science we can make food that is both healthy AND tasty.
Thanks to food science we can make food that is both healthy AND tasty
Why make them taste like real meat anyway?
Because people like the taste of real meat
Because this will be the surest and quickest way to switch people from real meat to alternative and artificial meat
Because real meat tastes great. And alternative meat should too
But we are destroying traditional farming…and the eating experience
What traditional farming? Don’t make me laugh. It is a factory.
Look, when the cars came, we destroyed the carriage industry. We didn’t need horses anymore, so stables weren’t needed either. We didn’t need horse food either, as we now had gasoline instead of hay. Basically, a lot of people became unemployed, and the whole horse-carriage industry and supplying industries took a hit. But would you go back to carriages? No, I didn’t think so.
Someone made the absurd suggestion that we will loose the “humbling intimacy from meals where the animal’s death is deeply felt”. I’m sorry but I had to call bullshit on that. There is no deep connection to the animal’s death. People don’t eat meat because they feel “connected” to the real animal that died. They eat it because they are hungry and the animal was tasty. In fact, we have zero feelings for animals and the reason for the situation we are in, with a huge and unethical meat industry, is precisely because we don’t give a shit about animals. Alternative meats will help us fix that. I look forward to the day when our children will say “I can’t believe in your days you were killing real animals just so that you can make a burger”
I look forward to the day when our children will say “I can’t believe in your days you were killing real animals just so that you can make a burger”
On a separate story I’ll summarise why it is that we must make this transition, asap.
(B U R P )
