The Meat Revolution
Articles Reflecting a Vegan Lifestyle From All-Creatures.org

Vegan lifestyle articles that discuss ways of living in peace with humans, animals, and the environment.

FROM

Animal Agriculture Climate Change
December 2017

Forget about the cars and those annoying trucks on the road or even the factories that we intend to blame for rapid Climate Change; the real culprit is the meat on your plate.

Here is a fact for you: 51% of Global Greenhouse Gasses is emitted by the Animal Agriculture industry. Forget about the cars and those annoying trucks on the road or even the factories that we intend to blame for rapid Climate Change; the real culprit is the meat on your plate.
According to the European Commission, Climate Change causes extreme weather and shifting rainfall, it poses a risk to human health (due to extreme cold or extreme heat pattern), has a high cost for society and the economy (e.g. extreme weather patterns affect the growth of food and causes droughts and flooding) and threatens the continued existence of wildlife. Basically it makes long term survival on earth impossible.

The global population is already 3.5 Million people more than the Earth can realistically sustain and it is growing exponentially; we cannot possibly produce enough meat for everyone. And shock-horror we do not actually need to consume meat! Think about all the trees and vegetation that needs to be cleared to create grazing areas for livestock (livestock that has, by the way, not increased in numbers naturally, but has been brought about by artificial insemination – no bull involved). The destruction of forests further contributes to Climate Change. Remember, we need trees to breath.

Furthermore, the World Health Organisation (they’re kind of a big deal by the way) have, through extensive research, established that red meat probably does and processed meat definitely does cause cancer.

So every way you look at it, the continued consumption of meat probably means death. Despite the overwhelming evidence about the negative impact of the consumption of animal meat, people still have an insatiable hunger for rotting flesh.

There are numerous fake-meat products on the market, however many people have been reluctant to replace the meat on their plates with the product as they are mostly made of soy, and taste and smell nothing like meat. But do not fear; some forward thinking, earth-loving and health conscious individuals have seen the writing on the wall and have set out on a quest to create plant-based “meat” to satisfy our hunger.

Beyond Meat

You know that mildly influential and sort-of rich man named Bill Gates? Well he’s invested in a company called Beyond Meat. They produce plant-based meat alternatives made from non-GMO, gluten free pea protein. Beyond Meat products include Beef Patties, the Beast Burger for athletes, Chicken Strips and Beef Crumble (mince). The company claims that their beef patties look, cook and taste like real meat; which is confirmed by the consumers. BUT unlike real meat, it does not contain cholesterol and contains 13% more iron than a beef patty.

What’s not to love!!! Oh and the irony; the previous CEO of McDonalds is on Beyond Meat’s board of directors. Tyson Foods Inc., the leading American meat supplier, owns 5% of this start-up and its CEO has openly said that plant-based meat alternatives are the future.

Impossible Food

“Today we rely on cows to turn plants into meat. There has to be a better way” Patrick O. Brown. And that’s exactly what he did, he found a better way. Pat Brown is the founder and CEO of Impossible Foods, which have started with plant-based burger patties but the company’s renowned scientists are hard at work reinventing ways to create more plant-based alternatives for meat. The Impossible Burger is made of all-natural ingredients such as wheat, coconut oil, potatoes and heme (iron containing compound). An Impossible Burger uses 95% less land, 75% less water and creates 87% less greenhouse gas emissions than a beef (cow) patty. Oh and to top it all off, it is 100% free or hormones, antibiotics and artificial ingredients. It’s good for the environment and your health; that’s one hell of a deal.

Check out the Beyond Meat and Impossible Food websites to locate your nearest stockist of the plant-based products. The best thing is that the products aren’t hidden away in a dark corner but can be found in the meat isle, right next to the actual meat. It is still localised to North America and is only stocked in certain stores. But in terms of basic economic principle, as the demand for the products increases so will the supply and the cost will naturally decrease.

In a nutshell:

Plant-based “meat” created by Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods improves your health, positively impacts on climate change, addressed global resource constraints and improves animal welfare. Enough said.

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