The Changing World of Meat – Part 2

Can Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Save the Planet?

Continued from Part 1 of our blog about The Changing World of Meat…

Another way the world of meat is changing is the meat-alternative movement. We touched on it briefly in our blog “Bursting the Burger Bubble”. We talked about thinking outside-the-bun when it comes to what you’re putting inside the bun. Companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meats are leading the charge on products that promise to “look, cook and satisfy like real beef”.

At this point, we’re probably all thinking the same thing, “If it wasn’t broken, why are we fixing it?”.  

Believe it or not, farming beef is VERY taxing on the environment. A quick look at the Impossible Foods website and you might be surprised to learn that “Animal agriculture occupies almost half the land on earth, consumes ¼ of our freshwater and destroys our ecosystems.”  WOAH. Concerning, right?

During a sabbatical from his position as professor emeritus at Stamford, CEO and Founder of Impossible Foods, Dr. Patrick O. Brown, asked himself what one thing he could do with the rest of his career that would have the biggest impact on the world. As a result of that introspection, he decided he wanted to work to replace animals as a source of food. His invention of Impossible Meat is touted as being not only a delicious alternative to meat, but also a nutritious and sustainable one.

Earlier this year, Impossible is credited for stealing the show at CES 2019, even getting named “Top Tech of CES 2019” by Digital Trends as well as “Best of the Best”, “Most Unexpected Product”, and “Most Impactful Product” by tech blog Engadget.

Pretty mind-blowing when you stop to think that a vegan burger patty stole the limelight at a technology conference.  

Beyond Meat is another company creating plant-based-meat-alternatives for everything from hamburger patties to chicken strips. We grilled some Beyond Burgers up here at the office and were pleasantly surprised with how good they were. Even more impressive, they shocked Wallstreet (and everyone else) when they went public on May 22^nd, 2019 and had one of the most successful IPOs ever.

So, if it tastes great, it’s better for YOU and it’s better for the environment, is it possible these plant-based meats could one day replace animals as a primary source of protein in the food pyramid? Maybe.

While these trends are very different, they share one common denominator: they’re about doing what’s right. Crowd Cow, Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat are all looking to improve the world around them, which is noble to say the least. When most companies are only worried about gaining customers and turning profits, they’re looking to improve the quality of the food we eat WHILE producing that food in a more environmentally sustainable way. Mind blown.

We can’t wait to see next in The Changing World of Meat, maybe one of these?

GrillGrate. Eat Well.

– Meagan