Vegan activism vs the meat industry : saving the world with the Impossible Burger?

(Genn) #1

The company behind the Impossible Burger (founded by scientist Patrick O. Brown) claims that:

‘Through conferences, Brown tried raising awareness about how using animals for food harms the environment. However, this had little impact, so he created a business that produced plant-based alternatives to popular animal products.’

So, Impossible burgers are meant to be a meat dupe, to ‘wean’ meat eaters off of animal products because of the impact cattle have on the environment. Impossible is not appealing to vegans or vegetarians, as the patty itself is ‘meat’ flavored and ‘bleeds’, and is a Frankenstein of additives (not exactly a whole foods approach).

Question is, what are real answers to the environmental impact of the meat industry? Or are companies like the above going to be the future of ‘meat’ eating?

#2

They are feeding off a myth. Not very nutrient dense.

Unfortunately stories grow in the re-telling, and people love a story more than facts.

(Unfortunately people grow fat eating what we are fed, and people love a story more than health.)

It’s interesting that it is a dupe, rather than a meat substitute for vegans and vegetarians. It seems pretty obvious to look at it that way.

I imagine whole food non-animal product eaters would be quite ill at the thought of the amount of processing and food science biochemistry that goes into creating it. And as we’ve learned from our highly processed foods experience, they are formulated to be addictive. I can’t see that the manufacturers have left out that essential ingredient. The more addicts, the more justification and the more it becomes the norm.

@David_Stilley

(Full Metal KETO AF) #3

You do realize that quote of me was sarcasm, don’t ya @FrankoBear ? It was an imitation of how much of the general public would respond :wink: :cowboy_hat_face:

#4

prescient none the less

(Full Metal KETO AF) #5

Hot enough for ya there @FrankoBear ? Are you far from the bush bbq mate? :cowboy_hat_face:

(Full Metal KETO AF) #6

@FrankoBear Hey have you noticed a couple of vegan activists joined up here lately? There’s one that was copied and pasted on a bunch of threads saying we can get all the protein we need from plants and talking about eating the colors of the rainbow. :rainbow::joy::joy::joy:

#7

I wanted to hear what they had to say. They were keen on sprouted grains and well entrenched in the heart-lipid hypothesis and saturated fat fear of the 20th C. Good on them for having a crack at it. But I think they may have been shooed away or shushed before they could fully argue their point of view. :cry:

@amwassil

#8

The real answers to a lot of things are usually simple in their complexity, varied in their nuance, and definitely confidently confounded. In my opinion an answer to the environmental impact of agriculture is more dependent on the environmental impact of the fossil fuel industry. But in the downstream agricultural dependency there is the hopeful possibility of regenerative agriculture and scaled permaculture to create nett environmental benefits.

Yup, companies, like those highlighted are the technological future of ‘meat’ (I like those fly spots). For the economics of human health (ethics be damned at this point) we, as an affluent society, are probably better to learn from the healthiness of the near past and the benefits of eating cellulose consuming ruminant species. In the time before atherosclerotic heart disease, obesity and Alzheimer’s. But there are other rabbit holes agape, such as insect harvesting, algae farming in warming seas, that flitter like distracting butterflies.

(Jane) #9

Nah. They argued it repeatedly on multiple threads. When I posted my one-year post keto lipid numbers in response to his assertions that saturated fat was unhealthy, he ignored it because it didn’t fit his ideas.

That is someone who wants to pontificate, not discuss ideas and theories.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #10

:innocent: I just politely asked him to start his own topic and stop dumping on others. An honest and respectful person would just do that. He may still be around, so I guess we’ll find out.

(Central Florida Bob ) #11

I saw one thing about the Impossible Whopper that caught my attention. They said the demand isn’t from vegans and vegetarians, it’s from people eating a “normal” diet (SAD, I assume). The vegetarians and vegans had switched away from meat already. The growth market is in people who eat meat but feel like they shouldn’t.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #12

Also brought up here:

(charlie3) #13

It amazes me that vegans etc. are allowed to claim anything about the environmental impact of animal based food and we never demand they show their evidence. I’ve been around agriculture my whole life. My concern is not food from animals it’s soil conservation. Preserving soil has ALWAYS been an issue regardless of diet. It’s hard to disturb soils, grow crops, and lose no soil fertility in the process.

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #14

Thanks for mentioning that @charlie3.