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How to lower the price of plant-based meat

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Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat

#21

Post by shmageggy »

Layke1123 wrote: post #11
Nailgun wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are there any commercial products and has anyone tried it? I do recall some video somewhere of a US restaurant and people said it was reasonable but that could have been plant based.

I tried the impossible burger at Burger King. I could not tell a difference personally from any typical fast food burger. Would buy it again to satisfy a craving.

The Impossible burger is not cultured meat, it’s a plant-based product. OP is referring to this https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/02/no-kill-...

Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat

#23

Post by hiddevb »

Layke1123 wrote: post #11
Nailgun wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are there any commercial products and has anyone tried it? I do recall some video somewhere of a US restaurant and people said it was reasonable but that could have been plant based.

I tried the impossible burger at Burger King. I could not tell a difference personally from any typical fast food burger. Would buy it again to satisfy a craving.

Impossible burger is still created from plants. "Clean" or lab grown meat isn't commercially available anywhere, it only exists is some labs AFAIK. It's sadly very expensive to make today.

There are a few startups working on this, Mosa meat and meatable are some examples.

Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat

#24

Post by pelasaco »

delibes wrote: post #12
sparrish wrote: post #2

It really shouldn't be called "meat". It should be called plant-based protein or meat-substitute. The definition of "meat" shouldn't change because you press some soy to look like a chicken leg.

Yes, as long as this isn't going down the route of "consumers will get confused" by terms like "oat milk". People aren't that stupid and the arguments against using the word milk annoy me. I think it's a sign that people are changing their diet and the dairy industry is worried.

> People aren't that stupid and the arguments against using the word milk annoy me.

People are not stupid to try to kill corona with disinfectant: https://time.com/5835244/accidental-poisonings-trump/

Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat

#25

Post by hannob »

cccc4all wrote: post #6

Cows and livestock eat plants and convert into meat. It’s natural and organic and proven process that’s been around for thousands of years. Ground up plants with food colorings and odd shapes are not meat.

> It’s natural and organic and proven process that’s been around for thousands of years.

Which is a good example how "natural" and "been around for thousands of years" does not equal "is good for the environment".

Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat

#26

Post by tomcam »

seventytwo wrote: post #17

Interesting how all the Silicon Valley brainiacs here on HN are far more interested in discussing the semantics of “meat” than the technology or economics. Kind of disappointing, really.

Words are important. Kind of disappointing that you fail to understand that, really.

Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat

#27

Post by Falling3 »

seventytwo wrote: post #17

Interesting how all the Silicon Valley brainiacs here on HN are far more interested in discussing the semantics of “meat” than the technology or economics. Kind of disappointing, really.

Very disappointing. I'm not at all clear on the concern over semantics except in the case of lobbying groups and large companies on the animal ag side.

Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat

#28

Post by delibes »

gus_massa wrote: post #20
delibes wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, as long as this isn't going down the route of "consumers will get confused" by terms like "oat milk". People aren't that stupid and the arguments against using the word milk annoy me. I think it's a sign that people are changing their diet and the dairy industry is worried.

I once bought " I Can't Believe It's Not Butter ! ". I'm that stupid :(. https://www.google.com/search?q=I+can%27t+believe+it%27s+not...

:) There's always one. FWIW I noticed Flora do a plant-based range now that's quite good. They label the 'butter' as Plant B+tter.

Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat

#29

Post by ebiester »

I disagree with some of the premises.

First, I think that the right choice is to pick the right protein for the job, and not choose wheat and soy because of price. Mung beans, for example, are expensive because people aren't growing them. If quantity demanded grows, so will supply and supply chains, which will lower the price. It is possible that mung beans (as an example) are marginally more expensive to grow for some reason other than scale, but I would be surprised.

Second, I think they are getting cause and effect mixed up. They are saying to go downmarket because it will be cheaper, but it is much harder to beat Tyson at its own game with chicken nuggets than it is to provide a product at a higher perceived quality, then use profits to provide scale to go downmarket.

Plant-based versions already suffer from a perception of lower quality - it makes sense to compete on taste before cost because failing at both will never scale.

Re: How to lower the price of plant-based meat

#30

Post by hannob »

Interestingly it doesn't even discuss the obvious solution: Let people who buy real meat pay for the externalities. (Interestingly even in places where there's some form of carbon pricing - like the EU - this often doesn't cover a large share of emissions from meat production, as methane emissions are very relevant here - I'm not aware of any methane pricing scheme anywhere.)
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