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Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

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Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#431
post #65
post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meat and milk are basic foods.

And vegan alternatives are not? Meat was a luxury product not eaten every day for most of history and still is in most parts of the world. Given the environmental impact of Meat and Diary in terms of CO2, Methane, Water usage, and Deforestation we should heavily reconsider our nonchalant view of them as a cheap commodity.

Invention of agriculture through industrial revolution is not most of history. Meat would have been very much an ordinary thing to a hunter gatherer.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#432
post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Meat was a luxury product not eaten every day for most of history And nobody want's to return to those dark ages. This devil's alliance between veganism and environmentalism is what put me off environmentalism. Climate change can be softened by banning airplanes, air conditioning, and other things we don't need, not by banning food.

If you care about environmentalism then you should resonate with the fact that 68% of the Amazon is Burnt for pastures for Cattle Farming. 28% is Burnt for Agriculture, of which 60% is for soybeans, of which 77% are shipped overseas for livestock feed. That means at least 80% is burned for livestock or livestock feed. Since part of the palm oil and other plant produced is also used for livestock feed that number prob…

If we can't eat all the meat we want without destroying the planet, that tells me we need to manage down the population, not the standard of living. I'm not willing to give up one single shred of my standard of living to this braindead cram as many people as possible on the planet challenge.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#433
post #423

I don't eat meat, nor do I have any inclination to eat fake meat. I'm curious who thought people would rather eat more expensive fake meat compared to cheaper actual meat?

IMO: The real problem is that the plant-based-meat crowd really let their imaginations run away without using much common sense.

The market for plant-based fake meat is much smaller than they believe. They thought they would displace animal based options on menus; but instead they displayed traditional veggie burgers and ticked off the people who should have been their biggest advocates.

IMO: Cultured meat has a much better chance at displacing traditional meat. You can substitute it, because it's the same exact thing, and it won't make any difference.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#434

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Beef prices have fallen in the US over the past year (quite unlike all other meat) because farmers increased production. That certainly contributes to the "flop", but anecdotally no one I know (in the US) likes or even seeks out the fake meat. It's just not accepted here as far as I can tell (and I work in the restaurant/hospitality industry).

Depends where you live, in SF, LA, Vegas, Austin, and Miami I have impossible burgers all of them time - even Mighty Taco in Buffalo has impossible meat and Buffalo is last to get anything (they “allowed” Uber ten years after everyone else). The high quality fake meat is great - really satisfies the want for a burger or hot dog since becoming vegetarian and makes a lot of dishes where something like ground beef is us…

Of course there are markets where it has been more readily adopted than others, but even in those markets it's not performing the same as it has in Europe or Asia.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#435

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Meat was a luxury product not eaten every day for most of history And nobody want's to return to those dark ages. This devil's alliance between veganism and environmentalism is what put me off environmentalism. Climate change can be softened by banning airplanes, air conditioning, and other things we don't need, not by banning food.

Eating meat is essential but airplanes and AC aren't? There are parts of the world that are uninhabitable without AC, and I know tons of people who don't eat meat, but virtually everybody in developed countries flies. My partner's family lives at the other side of the planet so banning airplanes means she would never get to see her sisters again.

Around 60% of people in germany fly less than once a year. A third never flies. I expect that to be similar in other european countries. A lot more people eat meat.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#436
post #401

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mostly the same for Europe. Varies by country but lots of dishes don’t rely on meat. But you’re missing the point. The bulk of American sausages sold are fake as hell. If I’m eating fake meat, why not actually eat fake meat

"The bulk of American sausages sold are fake as hell" What in the world are you talking about?

I’m talking about how the bulk of American sausages would be classed as “fake as hell”? It’s in the comment you read, replied to and quoted.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#437

I'm not a fan of plant-based meat, this is most likely because of my culture ( I'm Sardinian ), we do have many meat based dishes and many plant based dishes, and honestly I don't see the need to cook the meat based ones with processed food that tries to replicate the taste and consistency of meat. I believe that if you don't want to eat meat there's a world of recipes that do not involve meat and are made to elevate…

Meat tastes really good.

I think there are many people who want to eat less meat but really enjoy meat. I am one of those people.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#438
One very local anecdote that seems to contradict this: my local Trader Joe’s is nearly always out of Impossible burgers. On many occasions, I have stood in line at the shelf where they are kept, waiting for the person who is unboxing them and supposed to be stocking shelves but basically just handing directly to customers. Maybe not representative of the larger marketplace but at least in that store they are the proverbial hotcakes.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#439
post #423

I don't eat meat, nor do I have any inclination to eat fake meat. I'm curious who thought people would rather eat more expensive fake meat compared to cheaper actual meat?

I’d love to switch to fake meat, even if it is more expensive. But it’s also usually less healthy (more sodium, more calories per serving).

If someone makes a fake lean chicken breast or 93%ground turkey then I’d happily switch over.

Re: Plant-based meat is turning out to be a flop

#440

Earlier quoted context omitted.

According to our local, nitrate free, butcher freshly slaughtered meat contains enoigh natural nitrate-alternatives to not require additional nitrate if ham, sausages and so on are prepared soon enough.

nitrate-free is a myth. They use celery powder which breaks down to sodium nitrate. The FDA allows the producers to call this "nitrate free" since they are not using sodium nitrate directly and the FDA considers the celery powder a flavoring agent. Chemically it breaks down to sodium nitrate and has the same carcinogenic nitrates. Its just a legal labeling loop hole.

Lucky me I don't live in the US then. And no, no celery powder used neither...
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